ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impact of the municipal and district policy approaches on the survival and development of migrant schools in Beijing, shedding light on the extent to which central-level policy ideals are being realized and why. District approaches affect the schools that offer middle school education, as well as the proportion of cases in which the middle school level is licensed. The chapter highlights several reasons why the municipal and district governments should not assume that focusing on migrant schools is of secondary importance. It shows that, despite the poor quality of migrant schools and the policy focus on public schools, migrant schools still serve a critical function for migrant communities in Beijing and provide a service for many migrant children for which there is currently no adequate alternative. While seemingly contradictory, this demand is primarily because of three reasons: barriers to public school education, the lack of discrimination in migrant schools, and the services offered by migrant schools.
