The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) today released the first phase of a three-part Quality Schools Study commissioned by the OSSE to study the patterns of school supply and student demand. The study will inform the OSSE about what factors contribute to a parent’s decision when choosing schools, the relationship between school choice and school quality, and between school choice and neighborhood development. 

The Quality Schools study will explore policy changes that can improve the availability of and access to quality school options throughout the city. In coordination with the OSSE, the study is conducted with The Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and 21st Century School Fund. These partners bring unique perspectives and expertise on education, housing, and neighborhood development in the District. 

Deborah A. Gist, the State Superintendent of Education, stated, "I believe this study will be a valuable instrument for District leaders who will not only promote a variety of quality public education offerings to District residents, but help ensure that all District residents receive an excellent education."

The Phase One report contains a comprehensive inventory of all public schools, as well as private schools with high proportions of publicly supported (voucher and special education) students. The report also provides a comprehensive profile of student populations in the District, including current enrollment patterns and trends between school years 2005-06 and 2006-07. 

The study also examines the residential location and school enrollment patterns for all school-age children, and includes additional analysis for several subsets of children: special education students, adult education students, and adjudicated youth in school year 2006-2007. The Phase One report will serve as the foundation for the analyses to be performed in Phases Two and Three. Phases Two and Three will look at mobility and school choice factors while also providing policy and programmatic analyses that will assist District leaders with their policymaking decisions to improve the quality of public school options in the District. Phases Two and Three are scheduled to be released simultaneously in late spring of this year.

Below are the links to the components of the report: 

• Quality School Study [PDF]
• Methodology [PDF]
• School Supply [PDF]
• Student Demand [PDF]