Does School Choice Leave Anyone Behind?

What do we know about the achievement and school experiences of students who remain in district public schools, as compared to their peers who take advantage of available school choice options? At Mathematica, we’re uncovering evidence about the outward and competitive effects of school choice policies and programs on nonparticipating students and schools. Learn more about our systematic review, which covers two decades of relevant research and evaluation. During this webinar, we shared insights from two new issue briefs developed by Mathematica for the Walton Family Foundation.

In light of this new analysis:

• Policymakers considering school choice need to understand how it affects students who attend schools of choice, but they should also account for its effect on students who remain in district public schools. Jeffrey Max will discuss how school choice affects student achievement in district public schools. Read the related issue brief.
• School choice options enable parents and families to send their children to schools outside their neighborhoods, which can influence the racial and economic composition of schools—potentially increasing or reducing integration in schools depending on who exercises choice and how they exercise it. Diana McCallum will highlight how public school choice levers such as charter schools, vouchers, magnet schools, district-wide choice, and interdistrict choice affect students’ racial integration. Read the related issue brief.

Additional presenters included the following:

• Shani Worrell, senior SLED officer, strategy, learning, and evaluation, Walton Family Foundation
• Abigail Potts, director of college, career, and civic readiness, National Association of State Boards of Education
• Derwin Sisnett, founder, Maslow Development, Inc.