School Choice, Education Reform, and Fiscal Austerity: U.K. Perspective on Their Implications for School Transport

Currently the Northern Ireland Government is implementing a number of policy reforms to its education system. These reforms have generated much heated debate and division along political party lines. However, none of the controversy has addressed the implications of the current or potential arrangements for travel and sustainability In considering the potential implications of strategic reform of the education system or changes to school transport as part of the drive by Government to help reduce the fiscal deficit, it is important to consider not only changes in the supply side (i.e. services and subsidised travel entitlement) but also how parents and their children are likely to respond to such changes to any school system. This will inform understanding not only anticipated cost and operational implications of such changes but also how different groups with school age children will themselves adapt to such changes and how their choices might translate into spatial, economic and social impacts. In this paper we consider planned reform of the education system in Northern Ireland and some potential alternatives, informed by in-depth household based surveys encompassing socio-economic, school choice and travel patterns, attitudinal data and a suite of stated preference estimated discrete choice models. Northern Ireland offers indication of the pitfalls to other areas placing increased emphasis on increased choice in their education systems when attempts are being made to reign in public spending.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB10(6) School Transportation
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Smyth, Austin
  • Kelleher, Luke
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
• Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22p
• Monograph Title: TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Children; Costs; Economics; Parents; Policy making; School trips; Socioeconomic factors; Sustainable development; Transportation planning; Travel patterns
• Geographic Terms: Northern Ireland
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01372774
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 12-4143
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 15 2012 4:04PM