This manual was written to help guide education stakeholders--including parents, students, school board members, community activists, administrators, policymakers and attorneys--in their efforts to promote racial diversity and avoid racial isolation in suburban school systems. Critical information on the current legal, political and policy issues…

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…

Over nearly three decades, the Public Policy Forum has collected and analyzed education data to report on the demographics, academic performance, and finances of public schools and districts in southeast Wisconsin. This 29th annual public schools report continues that tradition with updated analyses of new data and trends to shed light on the…

Open enrollment charter schools are monitored and accredited under the statewide testing and accountability system, just like traditional public schools. Accountability is critical for charter schools because if these schools do not improve student achievement they are at risk of having their charter terminated. As of the most recent publication…

More and more families are willing to go to any lengths to get their children into the right schools, even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong. Boundary hopping--falsifying residency status to attend a particular school--has been around for years. In a handful of states, it has been alleviated by open enrollment, choice programs,…

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…

Open enrollment is a subject of policy debate among educators and policy makers both at the national and state levels. Open enrollment is defined as the notion of enabling parents and students to choose among school sites and districts, without regard to place of residence. Proponents claim that open enrollment will enhance racial integration,…

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 study assesses funding differences, and the sources of those differences, between charter schools and traditional districts in Texas. The need for this research stems from conflicting reports on charter school revenues and growing concern over the quality of charter school financial data reported through Texas' Public Education Information…

Discusses the concept of the Educational Voucher, which is a proposed system for financing schools through payment, directly to parents, of vouchers which would be redeemable at schools of their choice, and with which they could purchase educational services for their children. (Author/DR)

Survey of parents and guardians of 911 North Dakota students applying for open enrollment found that general education, family convenience, proximity, and school atmosphere/values/philosophy were the most important reasons for choosing a district outside their home district. Responders' educational level and income were higher than those of the…

A sweeping parental choice bill passed recently in Minnesota spearheaded parental choice plans recently passed or under consideration in more than a dozen states. Explores the background and pros and cons of parental choice. (MLF)

The Bronson Settlement is a court ordered desegregation plan handed down in 1984 for the public schools of Cincinnati, Ohio. During the first three years of the plan the school system has undergone major changes in its leadership. This annual report for 1986-1987 evaluates the progress of the settlement and calls for the maximization of efforts to…

Identifies and analyzes the issues that emerge in the context of school desegregation and interdistrict school choice and applies these to Iowa's experience. The analysis is based on case law, federal and state law, and state administrative agency rulings. Interviews were conducted with officials in Nebraska, Minnesota, Washington, Utah, and…

This report includes evaluations of four New York City school district educational projects funded under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The Intensive Reading Program offered concentrated, individual reading instruction to needy open enrollment children as well as some indistrict pupils. The program's objectives…