William Lowe Boyd, Debra Hare and Joe Nathan, Center for School Change, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
May 2002
Choice in education is good for students, parents and school districts. That's the conclusion of a new study from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs entitled "What Really Happened? Minnesota's experience with statewide public school choice programs." The report looks at the impact of four statewide public school choice laws upon Minnesota education since 1985. These choices include open enrollment, post-secondary enrollment options, second chance options, and charter schools. Key findings include:
- In the period 1988-89 through 2000-01, the proportion of students participating in a public choice program increased from about 1% to 17%. In 2000-01, 30% of secondary students participated in a choice option.
- Choice programs have caused some schools and districts to change the way they educate children.
- The vast majority of participating students and parents express a high degree of satisfaction with their education.
- Available evidence on academic performance-admittedly limited-suggests that students are making good progress in choice programs.
- Those who argued that choice in education would result in negative consequences for children and schools were off the mark.
The authors write that the vast majority of parents, educators and policy makers in Minnesota now support the idea of choice in education when it comes to open enrollment, post-secondary enrollment options and second chance options, but not charter schools. The Minnesota teachers union has been especially critical of charter schools, terming them "a vehicle for the enemies of public school education." Charter opponents say that these schools lead to the "resegregation of schools along racial, cultural or socioeconomic lines." The authors urge policymakers to be "vigilant" that charter schools are not used to promote racial and ethnic segregation, but note that "one rarely hears white policy makers or union leaders lamenting the extreme racial segregation and cultural and racial isolation common in white suburban schools and school districts." Because Minnesota has been at the forefront of providing choice in education, there is much here to consider. Check it out at http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/school-change/docs/wrh.pdf.
