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How Local Discretion Limits School Choice Access and Competition

Sun, April 15, 2:45 to 4:15pm, New York Hilton Midtown, Floor: Second Floor, Madison

Abstract

In severing the link between residential address and school assignment, school choice policies have the potential to bring about more just, equitable, and diverse schools. However, this promise is undermined if local implementation limits access and undercuts competition. This study combines data from a new survey of local district open enrollment policies and procedures in Metro Detroit with student-level administrative data to identify the ways in which local implementation varies and how that variation may influence equitable access to public schools and competition. Findings suggest that local districts restrict access to some students while creating pathways of access for others, even without an explicit financial motivation to do so.

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