The Choice Is Yours After Two Years: An Evaluation Submitted to: Minnesota Department of Education 1500 Highway 36 West Roseville, MN 55113 By: Elisabeth A. Palmer, Ph.D. ASPEN Associates 5536 Garfield Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55419 Tel: 612.825.7447 Fax: 612.827.1011 December 2003 © 2003 Acknowledgements This evaluation and the preparation of this report were authorized by the Minnesota Department of Education. ASPEN Associates provided all evaluation services for this evaluation and wishes to thank all those who assisted with the design and implementation of The Choice Is Yours evaluation and review of findings from the project, including the many school and district staff from each of the participating school districts: Columbia Heights, Edina, Hopkins, Minneapolis, Richfield, Robbinsdale, St. Anthony/New Brighton, St. Louis Park, and Wayzata. The Choice Is Yours Leadership Team (2001-2003) Lyonel Norris, Minnesota Department of Education Morgan Brown, Minnesota Department of Education Barbara Zohn, Minnesota Department of Education Cindy Jackson, Minnesota Department of Education Marceline Dubose, Minnesota Department of Education Sandra Miller, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Silas Houston, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Rev. Albert Gallmon, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Janis Sarles, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Jim Hilbert, Shulman Law Firm Robert Wedl, Minneapolis Public Schools Elizabeth Hinz, Minneapolis Public Schools Jackie Turner, Minneapolis Public Schools Steve Belton, Minneapolis Public Schools Marsha Gronseth, West Metro Education Program Sharon Murry, West Metro Education Program Shalia Lindsey, Community Action West Metro Steering Committee (2001-2003) Rich Janezich, Brooklyn Center Public Schools Kathy Kelly, Columbia Heights Public Schools Larry Fuglesten, Edina Public Schools Maria Giampietro, Edina Public Schools Diane Cowdery, Hopkins Public Schools Gwen Jackson, Minneapolis Public Schools Kay McLean, Minneapolis Public Schools David Bakke, Richfield Public Schools Stephanie Crosby, Robbinsdale Area Schools Karen Neudahl, St. Anthony/New Brighton Public Schools Linnea Swenson Tellekson, St. Louis Park Public Schools Ginny Clark, Wayzata Public Schools Marsha Gronseth, West Metro Education Program Sharon Murry, West Metro Education Program Acknowledgements, continued The Choice Is Yours Application/Enrollment Group Barbara Zohn, Minnesota Department of Education Cindy Jackson, Minnesota Department of Education Marceline Dubose, Minnesota Department of Education Kathy Bergstrom, Columbia Heights Public Schools Larry Fuglesten, Edina Public Schools Maria Giampietro, Edina Public Schools Patricia Wright, Hopkins Public Schools Diane Cowdery, Hopkins Public Schools Rich Goodwin, Minneapolis Public Schools David Bakke, Richfield Public Schools Bonnie Inforzato, Richfield Public Schools Stephanie Crosby, Robbinsdale Area Schools Sharon Sawyer, Robbinsdale Area Schools Susan Bodurtha, St. Anthony/New Brighton Public Schools Lynda Stanley, St. Louis Park Public Schools Pat Harris, Wayzata Public Schools Sharon Collings, Wayzata Public Schools Ginny Clark, Wayzata Public Schools John Greupner, Wayzata Public Schools Jan Dittbrenner, Wide Area Transportation System Marsha Gronseth, West Metro Education Program Sharon Murry, West Metro Education Program Other Advisors: Carol Johnson, Superintendent, Minneapolis Public Schools Dave Heistad, Evaluation, Testing and Student Information, Minneapolis Public Schools Jim Liston, Student Accounting Office, Minneapolis Public Schools Theresa Flom, Data Analysis (Student Discipline Data), Minnesota Department of Education Carol Hokenson, Program Finance, Minnesota Department of Education Joanne Lawonn, Information Technology (Data Privacy), Minnesota Department of Education Marilyn Loehr, Program Finance (MARSS data), Minnesota Department of Education Dave Onsrud, Data Analysis (MCA/BST data), Minnesota Department of Education Ernest Davenport, Office of Educational Accountability, University of Minnesota Mark Davison, Office of Educational Accountability, University of Minnesota Young Seok Seo, Office of Educational Accountability, University of Minnesota Barry Cohen, Rainbow Research Cindy Lavorato, Rainbow Research T. Williams, Rainbow Research Jackie Fraedrich, Robbinsdale Area Schools Cheryl Videen, Research and Evaluation, Robbinsdale Area Schools Table of Contents Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................i Section 1: Program Participation ...........................................................................................1 Section 2: Parent Reasons for Choice, Involvement, and Satisfaction..................................28 Section 3: School Responsiveness.........................................................................................59 Section 4: Impact on Students................................................................................................84 Section 5: Student Experiences..............................................................................................93 Appendices Appendix A: Evaluation Design and Technical Notes .....................................................111 Appendix B: Program Implementation Barriers..............................................................124 List of Tables and Figures Figures Page Figure E1. Evaluation topics and guiding questions ......................................................................v Figure 1.1. Participating school districts (map)..............................................................................2 Figure 1.2. Minneapolis Public Schools (map) ..............................................................................9 Figure 1.3. Suburban choice program – total number of students ever participating...................19 Figure 1.4. Choice Is Yours transfers out of Minneapolis by zip code.........................................20 Figure 1.5. Suburban choice program – total number of students participating in year one, official 2001-02 end-of-year enrollment...................................................................21 Figure 1.6. Suburban choice program – total number of students participating in year two, official 2002-03 end-of-year enrollment...................................................................22 Figure 1.7. Choice Is Yours transfers combined, 2001-02 and 2002-03 .....................................23 Figure 1.8. Percentage of open-enrollment transfers out of Minneapolis by ethnicity and the effect of the suburban choice program................................................................24 Figure 3.1. How The Choice Is Yours Suburban School Districts Are Addressing Issues of Diversity and Equity.............................................................................................74 Figure 5.1. Kudos and Concerns from Students Attending The Choice Is Yours Suburban Choice Secondary Schools .......................................................................94 Tables Page Table 1.1. Characteristics of suburban choice receiving schools by year. ................................. 4-7 Table 1.2. Characteristics of Minneapolis choice magnet schools by year. .................................10 Table 1.3. Allocation of spaces to The Choice Is Yours students in Minneapolis choice magnet schools during the first year of the program ...............................................................11 Table 1.4. Demographic profiles of major cities within The Choice Is Yours program region....12 Table 1.5. Characteristics of suburban choice students and eligible, non-participants. ................14 Table 1.6. Percent of eligible students receiving first choice at Minneapolis choice magnet schools during the first year of The Choice Is Yours program....................................16 List of Tables and Figures, continued Tables Page Table 1.7. Number of The Choice Is Yours schools served each day by WATS ..........................26 Table 2.1. Parents’ prior school choices.......................................................................................29 Table 2.2. Parents’ awareness of The Choice Is Yours program ..................................................30 Table 2.3. Parents’ awareness of child’s enrollment in The Choice Is Yours program................30 Table 2.4. Why parents of eligible children did not enroll their child in The Choice Is Yours program.......................................................................................................................31 Table 2.5. How parents heard about The Choice Is Yours program ............................................32 Table 2.6. Factors influencing parents’ initial decision to enroll child in The Choice Is Yours...33 Table 2.7. Reasons why suburban choice parents want their child to remain or to leave the Minneapolis school district.........................................................................................34 Table 2.8. Location of school attended previous year (2001-2002).............................................35 Table 2.9. Type of school attended previous year (2001-2002)...................................................35 Table 2.10. Years child has been attending current school and/or district ....................................36 Table 2.11. Parents’ primary considerations when choosing a school..........................................38