NYC study: 10 years of choice has not altered 'demography as destiny'
by Dale Mezzacappa on Oct 25 2012 Posted in Latest news
With Philadelphia firmly committed to creating a "portfolio" of schools as a way to improve outcomes for all students, it seemed worthwhile to take note of a study just released by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.
It found that after 10 years of school choice and expanding high school options in New York City, "college readiness rates are still largely predicted by the demographics of a student's home neighborhood." It concludes, "choice has not been sufficient to increase systemic equity of opportunity."
This study focused on high schools, whereas Philadelphia's school choice initiative extends through the K-12 spectrum. There are other ways in which New York and Philadelphia are not directly comparable.
But there are nevertheless ways in which these findings might offer guidance to Philadelphia, where policymakers and civic leaders are determined to alter the "demography is destiny" scenario - to close the so-called achievement gap -