Open enrollment policy under study

Jan 11, 2013 at 9:24 am

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KNSI) A new study from the University of Minnesota says the state's open enrollment policy may have an unintended consequence.

The study says it has increased racial segregation in Twin Cities area and St. Cloud school districts.

The study doesn't question the policy itself, but says Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Cloud school districts have lost a substantial number of students under open enrollment. And the majority of the students leaving for nearby districts are white.

The study's authors examined enrollment patterns over a decade in 11 counties.

Minnesota's education commissioner, Brenda Cassellius, says it's time for the state to look into how open enrollment affects the achievement gap, and what happens to a district when students leave.

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