The COVID-19 pandemic affected families' decisions about whether and where to enroll their children in public schools. We have limited evidence to date, however, on how vulnerable sub-groups, such as those with disabilities and those qualifying for special education services, were impacted. In partnership with the Virginia Department of Education…

Switzerland, like other countries in Europe, has long depended on migration and mobility for its economy. Facilitating the integration of migrant children in school, primarily through the acquisition of the local language, has therefore been a priority for policymakers. In recent years, mobility has been on the increase and mobility trajectories…

Many children in the United States are highly mobile or have parents or guardians who are highly mobile, including some children who are, or who are part of families with, migratory agricultural workers, migratory fishers, and workers in seasonal industries or positions. These migratory children move regularly from one residence and school…

We investigate the effect of changing schools on academic achievement. Using representative data on the educational trajectories of 17,000 Swiss lower secondary students and national assessment data at the end of compulsory schooling, we estimate the potential individual achievement gaps caused by a school change. While the overall effect is…

School choice has been accompanied by an increase in student mobility. Although changing schools can benefit students, mobility is often associated with negative student and school outcomes. This study sought to better understand the relationship between school climate and the likelihood of student mobility across K-8 schools in Detroit, a city…

Over the first two full school years under the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 enrollment in public schools fell dramatically (i.e., by more than 1.2 million students) with losses concentrated among the youngest students. Currently, little is known about where these students went and what learning environments they are experiencing. In this research note,…

Eviction may be an important channel for the intergenerational transmission of poverty, and concerns about its effects on children are often raised as a rationale for tenant protection policies. We study how eviction impacts children's home environment, school engagement, educational achievement, and high school completion by assembling new data…

Student mobility -- that is, students changing schools -- can be detrimental for the academic outcomes of mobile students. Students who change schools tend to experience lower test scores than their nonmobile peers, be at higher risk of getting retained a grade, and have higher drop-out rates. Student mobility may not only affect the academic…

Every year, thousands of students leave traditional, Houston-area public schools for private schools, homeschools, or non-district charter schools. Some of these students eventually return to the public school setting. To investigate this phenomenon of "returners," the researchers followed two types of leavers in a cohort of Houston-area…

School choice advocates argue that choice policies increase access to desirable schools by breaking the link between residence and school placement. However, a growing body of research suggests that the distance from home to school actually influences school choice decisions. In this study, we examine the relationship between residential…

Open enrollment is an integral part of state public school choice policies. This datapoint captures enrollment provisions that apply specifically to students in foster care, including enrollment priority and educational continuity. [View the full "50-State Comparison: Open Enrollment Policies 2022" here:…

This poll was conducted between December 11-15, 2023 among a sample of 2,260 Adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. This report highlights: (1) views on K-12 education; (2) schooling and experiences; (3) K-12…

The COVID-19 crisis caused the educational system's sudden and drastic upheaval as parents were forced to decide where their children would attend school and how they would get there. These decisions were complicated by the uncertainty surrounding what type of online or hybrid schooling districts would offer, the health risks of different…

Growing numbers of students are educated in charter schools, including students with disabilities (SWD). Prior research suggests that charter schools educate a smaller percentage of SWD than traditional public schools, leading to a special education gap between sectors. We used data from a large urban district to examine how choice, mobility, and…

School mobility, compounding socioeconomic inequities, can undermine academic achievement and behavior, particularly during middle school years. This study investigates the effect of a school-based integrated student support intervention -- City Connects -- on the achievement and behavior of middle school students who experience school mobility.…