Crossing the Line

Description

Since the mid-1970s, thousands of students who live in the City of Milwaukee have attended public schools in the suburbs, while a smaller number of suburban students have enrolled in Milwaukee schools, through now-two state programs. Chapter 220 is a voluntary program enabling students of color in the city to enroll in participating and available suburban districts; public school “open enrollment,” a statewide program dating to 1997, permits enrollment of a student in any participating and available school district and is not based on race. Across that period, the resident population of some Milwaukee suburbs has become more diverse. Yet disparities in achievement by income and race remain large. This evening session will examine the impact and result of these programs and trends and explore the lessons for public policy going forward.