Interdistrict open enrollment is the nation's largest and most widespread school choice program, but our knowledge of these programs is limited. Drawing on 5 years of student-level data from the universe of public school attendees in Colorado, we perform a three-stage analysis to examine the dynamics of student participation in the state's…

Student mobility is the phenomenon of students in grades K-12 changing schools for reasons other than customary promotion from elementary school to middle school or from middle school to high school. This non-promotional school change can occur during the school year or in the summer between school years. It may involve residential change, school…

The question that drives this article is why some school districts decide to open up charter schools and others do not. Several answers are plausible: (a) entrepreneurial initiative, (b) structural explanations, and (c) spatial competition. We use data for the state of Wisconsin derived from extensive case studies of 19 charter schools and…

Arguments for and against school choice are presented. Claims on both sides often obscure the complexities, dilemmas, and tradeoffs involved. If diversity and choice become ends in themselves, if choice is not coupled with fundamental reform and the quest for excellence, the choices may be empty ones. (Author/VM)

This paper discusses implications of open enrollment polices for students with disabilities and for districts that gain or lose students with disabilities through transfer. An introductory section examines how open enrollment differs from other "choice" options and offers general arguments for and against open enrollment. The remainder of the…

Explains and analyzes open-enrollment plans, current open-enrollment legislation, and the Omaha (Nebraska) School District's attempt to balance goals of integration and open enrollment. Provides recommendations for educational and legislative reform in the area of public school choice. (198 references) (MLF)

Wisconsin's Open Enrollment program, which policymakers hope will improve educational performance by introducing competition to public schools, allows students to enroll in any district in the state, provided space is available. First implemented in the 1998-1999 school year, the program now includes 1% of all Wisconsin K-12 students. In its first…