Parents across the city are frustrated with the lengthy and opaque school assignment system. If we put the resources that are spent on the school assignment system toward improving the quality of all schools, this would not be an issue. The only real answer is to make every school a school parents would be happy to send their kids to. But while we are working to make that vision a reality, we must do more to make the assignment process work for families. This will take many steps but must include a move toward neighborhood schools, better communication with families, and a system that better incorporates their needs.
- Move to community schools. Neighborhood schools should become one of the most important factors in determining school assignment. This would enable us to rally the community and families around a school and would lead to increased parental involvement and investment. I believe strongly in the value of a diverse student body as a way to promote cross-cultural understanding, community building, and life experience. However, I think we also need to recognize the reality that the current system is not achieving those goals. 50% of African American families don't participate in the school assignment process and thus default to the poor schools in their neighborhoods that were not chosen by others. Students assigned to schools across town also face the challenges of transportation, truancy, and more limited parent involvement due to inaccessibility. Allowing parents to chose their neighborhood school helps them connect to that school, build relationships with the teachers, and builds community that allows the students and school to thrive.
- Preserve the option to choose a different school. While neighborhood schools as the basis for initial assignment will help us invest in schools and bring communities together, we must preserve the transfer option for students who are assigned to a poor-performing school or who request a specific program to meet their educational goals. While a significant gap in school quality remains, the percentage of slots held open in non-neighborhood schools should be higher, and it can change as the quality gap decreases. Over time, a neighborhood school system (supplemented by parental choice) would result in a portfolio of high-performing, varied schools across the district. This would ensure a great school in every neighborhood and enable parents and students to select schools based on the factors that matter to them. Differentiation of offerings among good schools would lead to diversity based on interest and demand (for example, some families might prioritize Spanish language immersion, some proximity to home, while others prioritized math/science or the arts).
- Improve outreach and communication to families about both the process and the schools. Many families make decisions based on rumors and reputations, without having good information about the many wonderful schools that are available to them. But many families also make no decision at all, and by not participating in the lottery they are left with the low-performing schools. We must do more to engage parents, particularly on the east side of the city, so that all students participate equally in the system. And for those hardest-to-reach populations there must be a proactive outreach strategy that reaches parents and engages them in a conversation about their options. Too many low-income, ESL, and other families are not able to participate in school visits or navigate the system without extra support.
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