State policymakers should pair any choice expansion with quality controls, equitable access safeguards, integration management, and research and evaluation requirements¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 mixed) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The report's Key Policy Considerations section lays out implementable state actions across sectors: ensure many high-quality options with consolidated, accessible applications and free transportation; authorize charters through a small number of authorizers with strong accountability; maintain special oversight of virtual schools; require accreditation, staff qualifications, and nondiscrimination standards for schools receiving public funds; and require registration, structured programs of study, and assessment for homeschooling. It stresses that "simply providing choices does not automatically provide high-quality options that are accessible to all students or improve student learning."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Choice expansion should be paired with quality review processes, information systems for parents, and monitoring of access for students with disabilities, English learners, and varied backgrounds

Constraints¶

• The report states outcomes depend on how well districts manage choice and leverage strong school quality; some districts have inadvertently created educational deserts

Target Learners¶

• All U.S. K-12 students and families choosing among public, charter, private, virtual, and homeschool options

Target Learning Goals¶

• Equal access to high-quality learning opportunities
• educational attainment
• racial and economic integration
• preparation for civic roles in a democracy

Claims¶

• Parents' school choices were constrained by disability-linked safety fears and transportation barriers [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Use centralized enrollment, controlled choice, and transparency systems to ensure equitable access and integration
• Research and policy attention should now examine PreK program quality and equitable access across racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups, and how families choose among PreK options
• Retain, strengthen, and improve statewide choice options, with urgent state action on information, oversight, and funding equity
• State policymakers should strengthen their own oversight capacity as accreditors' watchdog role weakens

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Darling-Hammond, L., Rothman, R. & Cookson, P. W., Jr. (2017). Expanding high-quality educational options for all students: How states can create a system of schools worth choosing. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/expanding-high-quality-options