Across the nation, the monopoly of traditional school districts over public education is slowly eroding. Trust-busting policies like public charter schools and vouchers have given parents and students more options than ever before. But how vibrant are school marketplaces in America’s largest districts? Now in its fourth year, the Education Choice and Competition Index is one of the best examinations of educational markets, rating the hundred most populous districts along four key dimensions: (1) access to school options; (2) processes that align student preferences with schools (e.g., common applications, clear information on schools); (3) policies that favor the growth of popular schools, such as funds following students; and (4) subsidies for poor families. The top-rated district, you ask? The Recovery School District in New Orleans won top marks in 2014, as it has in the two prior years. New York City and Newark, New Jersey, are close behind the Big Easy. The study commends these cities for their ample supply of school options—and just as importantly, for policies that support quality choice. For instance, this trio of cities (along with Denver) has adopted an algorithm that optimally matches student preferences with school assignments. All impressive stuff from which Ohio’s cities can learn (only Columbus was ranked, and it received mediocre marks). In the Buckeye State, for example, local funds rarely follow students to their school of choice, and reliable information on school quality is all too scarce. Lastly, this Ohio-based Gadfly writer would be remiss to not offer a suggestion to sharpen this fine study. The list of rated cities appears to tilt toward states with countywide districts, while states where district lines are tightly drawn—such as Ohio—seem to have too few cities included (Cleveland and Cincinnati?). So why not rank the most densely populated cities—over a certain population threshold—in addition to ranking the top one hundred districts by absolute student counts? This is a small bone to pick, of course, as Brookings is doing policymakers—and choice advocates—a great favor in outlining the key components of a robust school marketplace while keeping tabs on which cities lead and lag behind.
SOURCE: Grover J. Whitehurst and Ellie Klein, The 2014 Education Choice and Competition Index (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, February 2015).
