What do Washington parents think about their students’ charter schools?

In 2014, the first public charter schools opened in Washington state. The development led to years of controversy, but the debates often bypassed the opinions of people with important experience: parents of enrolled students. To begin to remedy this, we conducted a mixed-methods study that asked parents how they selected their student’s charter school, how […]

Closing schools in a time of enrollment decline

Enrollment declines nearing 10% in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and other metro area school districts this fall have revived the possibility of closing and consolidating schools. While some urban communities have a long history of doing so, in places like the Atlanta metro area and California’s San Fernando Valley, it was previously unimaginable.  The […]

School closures and parent engagement: Lessons from Aurora, Colorado

In 2013, Aurora, Colorado, was experiencing major demographic changes. A housing boom in this city east of Denver was bringing new families to parts of the city that were previously sparsely populated. However, enrollment was declining in the city’s lower-income areas, where many families of color lived. A new superintendent took office in 2013 and […]

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