Fordham Institute Names DC a Top City for School Choice
Today, the Fordham Institute released a new report America's Best (and Worst) Cities for School Choice, which looks at nearly fifty indicators — from facilities policies, charter enrollment share to media support and voucher robustness — to rank 30 cities on their choice friendliness.
The report looked at several cities and determined rankings based on three key factors: political support, policy environment, quantity and quality of choices. In reviewing these three key factors, the Fordham Institute found that New Orleans, Washington DC, and Denver took first, second, and third place, far outpacing the rest of the other states observed.
The District receives high marks for its policy environment (25.9 out of 35; ranking fifth), reflecting a number of choice-friendly policies. However, unfortunately, due to some conflict as a result of squabbles over public and private school choice, DC has some room for improvement when it comes to political support (7.3 out of 15; ranking twenty-first).
The report also made some additional and interesting observations about school choice and economics. The Fordham Institute also found that choice-friendly cities have been very much associated with gentrification and an increasingly thriving economy. Conversely, many of the lower-ranked cities for choice are struggling economically.