Mapping Analysis Finds Interdistrict-Choice Options to Be Limited

The use of interdistrict-choice programs is unlikely to increase most students’ educational opportunities significantly, a new report concludes, despite recent attention to the idea as a means of reducing economic and racial segregation and giving students in low-performing public schools a chance to find a better school.

“Only a limited number of students in a limited number of locations are likely to benefit from interdistrict choice—and even then, only if carefully crafted policies succeed where many past programs have failed,” says the report, issued this week by Education Sector , a Washington think tank that supports public school choice.

The study analyzes performance data and public school locations in California, Florida, and Texas, three of the most populous states. Using Geographic Information Systems mapping technology, it estimates the driving time from lower-performing schools to significantly higher-performing schools in...