Doing School Choice Right
Helping Schools Compete in a Choice Environment
To examine how districts and traditional public schools cope with the challenges of choice, CRPE researchers took a close look at two districts that are, in many ways, on the frontier of choice and competition in public education: Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and Dayton Public Schools (DPS).
CRPE researchers conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with district and school personnel (e.g., the superintendent, chief academic officer, chief financial officer, principals, and teachers) and reviewed district and school budgets and other documents.
Three key findings emerged: 1) district leaders set the tone by being matter-of-fact about the market; 2) district leaders use specific strategies to help schools compete, including public relations and information campaigns, offering parents choices within the district, and closing failing schools so others can have a better chance to survive; and 3) districts must struggle to overcome traditional ways of managing finance, transportation, information, and facilities.
There are no easy answers about how to help public schools compete, but one thing is clear: choice creates uncertainty and vulnerability. However, so do standards and accountability reforms, and so do fiscal crises. While choice intensifies existing risks, it does not necessarily create wholly new ones.
Christine Campbell, Michael DeArmond, and Kacey Guin, jointly led this study.
