Report Does School Choice Work? Effects on Student Integration and Achievement By Julian Betts, Andrew C. Zau, Lorien A. Rice, Y. Emily Tang Aug 30, 2006 Public school choice programs in San Diego—the nation’s eighth-largest school district—are extremely popular, especially among non-white communities; many San Diego families who apply for these programs are turned away each year. San Diego's experience stands against the backdrop of a national debate about choice—with proponents arguing such programs will create better schools and accountability, and opponents countering that they could stratify and resegregate a system premised on educational equality. Researchers examined the selection of students for choice programs and their movements through the school system and found that such programs do seem to have helped to integrate San Diego’s student bodies, not only along racial-ethnic lines but also in terms of students' parental education levels. But evidence that choice programs also boost academic achievement is less clear. With some exceptions—elevated math achievement for students in magnet high schools — those who won lotteries that allowed them to attend choice programs did about the same on standardized tests as non-winners one to three years later.
Report Transportation Spending by Low-Income California Households: Lessons for the San Francisco Bay Area By Lorien A. Rice Jul 26, 2004 In Transportation Spending by Low-Income California Households: Lessons for the San Francisco Bay Area, Lorien Rice explores the roles that transportation expenditures play in household budgets, both in California’s metropolitan areas and in the Bay Area more specifically. In particular, Rice analyzes vehicle and transit expenditure data, estimates costs for various commutes in the Bay Area, and explores mode choices and other travel factors that influence monetary costs. Her findings indicate that transportation was the third-largest budget item for California’s low-income households—despite the fact that these residents are more likely to use public transit, carpool, or walk to work. Rice also reviews policy options to address transportation affordability and proposes ideas for further research.
press release Peer Power: Students’ Classmates Have Greater Effect Than Other Factors on Academic Success Aug 27, 2003
Report Determinants of Student Achievement: New Evidence from San Diego By Julian Betts, Andrew C. Zau, Lorien A. Rice Aug 27, 2003 This report presents the results of a unique study conducted by the authors in collaboration with the San Diego Unified School District (the second-largest district in California). For this study, the authors compiled a highly detailed, student-level database that enabled them to link factors influencing student achievement in ways that have not been possible with the state-level data generally used in such studies. In this report, they examine resource inequalities across schools, explore trends in achievement, and, most important, provide detailed statistical estimates of the school and classroom factors that most influence student achievement. Some of their findings: The lowest socioeconomic status (SES) schools generally receive fewer resources than more-affluent schools, especially in the case of teacher qualifications in elementary schools. An individual student's rate of learning is influenced by the academic ability of peers in his or her classroom and grade. Classroom-level peer effects are stronger in elementary school. Grade-level peer effects are stronger in middle and high school. Class size influences gains in reading achievement in elementary grades but does not appear to be of significant importance in middle and high schools. Teacher qualifications can make a difference, but the various measures of qualification have sporadic and varying effects in elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as on gains in math and reading achievement. The authors conclude the study with a discussion of the implications of their findings, especially in light of the grim new financial reality facing most school districts as a result of California's serious budget deficits.
