Open Enrollment Provides Substantial Benefits to Students and Families

Summary: Many American families have few options outside of their residentially assigned schools, but it doesn’t have to be this way. One way policymakers can put parents in the driver’s seat is through a form of public school choice that everyone can get on board with — inter-district school choice, which allows families to enroll in schools across district boundaries.

Also known as open enrollment, 43 states allow inter-district transfers but most give school districts at least some discretion over admissions decisions. For example, in Texas, school districts aren’t required to accept transfer students and can even charge families tuition to their public schools. Lovejoy Independent School District, for instance, charges transfer students up to $14,000 on top of stringent admissions standards that include academic and attendance requirements.

It’s a similar story in Tennessee, where students aren’t always given the opportunity to enroll outside of their zoned school district —even when seats are available at public schools. Unfortunately, these examples are not the exception. Very few states have strong open enrollment laws.

While there is surprisingly little research on inter-district enrollment, an overarching theme emerges from several key studies on the topic: families benefit from this form of education choice but state and district policymakers must do more to provide all kids with opportunities, even in states with strong policies already in place.

In the 21st century, it no longer makes sense to confine educational opportunities to rigid and often arbitrary district boundaries. Policymakers should put families in the driver’s seat by reducing or even eliminating the role of district boundaries in determining school assignments. Open enrollment can provide substantial benefits to families, but more must be done to ensure that all students have opportunities outside of their zip code.

Source: Open Enrollment Provides Substantial Benefits to Students and Families

Submitted January 30, 2020 at 08:24AM by punkthesystem https://ift.tt/2uNbTlS