The push and pull of open enrolment policy in metro Detroit

The Relationship Between Open Enrollment and School Bond Voting

“…As was shown in previous work, in many districts in Michigan, there is a strong relationship between nonresident enrollment and resident student exit, suggesting the possibility that some parents “vote with their feet” by enrolling their children in charter schools or neighboring traditional public schools (Pogodzinski et al, 2018). Although the findings from our current study presented here does not demonstrate that it is necessarily associated with lack of support at the polls, we argue that student mobility through open enrollment (both inflow and outflow of students) should be of concern for district leaders as they seek to maintain their capital infrastructure.…”

“…These two examples of neighboring districts not only highlight the varying realities of districts in the education marketplace, but the extent to which district leaders’ decision making can shape the distribution of nonresident enrollment within and across schools and districts. Although the local boards of education ultimately approve nonresident enrollment policies, superintendents and their associates are tasked with maintaining/increasing enrollment while also preserving the academic standards, and being sensitive to the potential racial and class differences between resident and nonresident students, which can not only pose challenges within the schools but also potentially lead to resident enrollment declines (Pogodzinski et al, 2018). This requires the superintendent to not only understand the financial implications of enrollment of both resident and nonresident students but also understand the potential race/class conflict that is often inherent through open enrollment, particularly in metropolitan areas across Michigan.…”

“…Recent analysis of open enrollment in Michigan showed that low-income and African American children (who were on average lower performing on State-mandated achievement assessments) were more likely to attend a school outside of their residency zone (Cowen et al, 2015). Additionally, Pogodzinski and colleagues (2018) showed how the enrollment of lower income and African American nonresident students in Metro Detroit played a fundamental role in changing several districts’ student demographics. If the enrollment of nonresident students significantly changes the demographics of the school district in terms of race/ethnicity, economic status, and/or student achievement, it may negatively affect home values.…”

“…While open enrollment was purportedly established to allow students in underperforming school districts to exit their residency zoned schools and spur improvements through market competition, it ultimately created a new supply of students for districts to draw from and contributed to drastic changes in many districts’ enrollment patterns (Pogodzinski, Lenhoff, & Addonizio, 2018). Michigan provides a particularly robust market setting for school choice, with well over 500 local traditional public school districts and more than 300 charter schools (enrolling ~145,000 students in 2016-2017; National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2018).…”

Stayers and Leavers: Parental Decision Making in a Volatile School Choice Environment

“…This study builds on our previous work, which used district-level data to identify patterns in student nonresident enrollment from Detroit to the suburbs (Pogodzinski, Lenhoff, & Addonizio, 2017). We found initial evidence that suggested resident student exit may be related to high levels of nonresident enrollment and changes in district and community demographics.…”