How Transportation Shapes School Choice: Evidence from Baltimore City Public Schools

July 06, 2025  |  By Julia Burdick-Will, Marc Stein

Baltimore’s system of school choice requires students and families to select their high schools rather than be assigned one based on where they live. While this system provides flexibility, challenges related to distance and commuting remain, especially for those students who rely on public transportation to get to school. This study uses major changes to the bus system over time to examine the effect of commuting difficulty on school choice.

This study was was published in Social Science Research in May of 2025.

The Double Burden of School Choice

April 23, 2025  |  By Huriya Jabbar, Hanora Tracy, Emily Germain, Sarah Lenhoff, Jacob Alonso, Shira Haderlein

This study examines how the administrative demands of school choice—such as researching options, navigating systems, and completing applications—create obstacles for families. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with parents in Louisiana, Colorado, and Michigan, the researchers highlight the psychological toll of these processes.

The Segregation Paradox in School Choice

April 03, 2025  |  By Danielle Sanderson Edwards, Kaitlin Anderson

This study examines how school choice policies impact racial and economic segregation in Michigan. Using student data from 2009-2019, it analyzes the effects of inter-district and charter school enrollment on segregation patterns across the state.

What’s Old is New? School Openings, Closings, and Student Achievement

December 20, 2024  |  By Danielle Sanderson Edwards, Joshua M. Cowen

This paper examines changes in student achievement following transfers to newly opened schools in Michigan from 2010-11 to 2018-19. Using event study models, it identifies initial disruptive effects on math and English/Language Arts, with recovery over three years. The findings are discussed in the context of the high costs of school construction, resource allocation, and equity, particularly for students of color and lower-income students, who are disproportionately affected.

Can User Reviews Like Those on GreatSchools Improve Information for Schooling Choices?

November 10, 2024  |  By Douglas N. Harris, Jamie M. Carroll, Debbie Kim, Nicholas Mattei, Olivia G. Carr

This study examines how online reviews like those on GreatSchools help parents navigate schooling options for their children. Researchers analyzed over 600,000 reviews from 84,000 schools to understand how these reviews reflect the experiences and priorities of different users and school types, providing key information for families making school choice decisions.

The Role of School-Based Transportation in School Choice: Evidence from Detroit

October 10, 2024  |  By Jeremy Singer, Sarah Lenhoff

The transportation that schools offer affects school choice decisions, according to new research on kindergarten students in Detroit.

Responding to Crisis: Virtual Schooling in Oregon during the COVID-19 Pandemic

September 16, 2024  |  By Julie A. Marsh, James Bridgeforth, Laura Mulfinger, Desiree O'Neal, Tong Tong

Viral Change: Trends in Michigan Teacher Attrition and Mobility Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

February 29, 2024  |  By Bryant G. Hopkins, Katharine O. Strunk, Salem Rogers

Educators and policymakers across the country have been raising alarms about a growing teacher shortage. In this study, we use administrative data from Michigan to understand how teachers’ propensities to leave the public school system, switch districts, or switch schools shifted after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Longitudinal School Database

January 19, 2024  |  By Jamie M. Carroll, Douglas N. Harris, Anjana Nair, Emilia Nordgren

The National Longitudinal School Database (NLSD) was created by the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH) to allow researchers to examine various aspects of traditional public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, and private schools.

How Has Centralized Enrollment Affected New Orleans Schools?

December 07, 2023  |  By Jane Arnold Lincove, Jon Valant

This report examines what happened when schools that had enrolled a highly disproportionate share of the system's white students entered the city's centralized enrollment system. It finds that the schools entering that system (OneApp/NCAP) led to increased access to those schools for Black and other nonwhite families.