Two sets of New Jersey school ratings have been released, and surprisingly, the top schools on U.S. News and World Report and our Department of Education's lists are selective magnet schools that admit only students who meet rigorous admissions requirements. For U.S. News, the top 10 are all county magnets. Topping the list is Monmouth's High Technology High School, where 300 students, all Asian and white, with just 2% eligible for free/reduced lunch, compete for 75 spots each year. According to the district, the top 23 schools are all magnets. The highest rated is Woodbridge Academy in Middlesex, with 1,800 applicants competing for 500 places. Almost all successful applicants are Asian and Caucasian, and 5% are eligible for free/reduced lunch.
Some argue that these magnets, which select the best competitors from across the county, are an example of public school choice. Applicants may ignore school district boundaries as long as they reside in the county. But a new report from Available To All, called “The Broken Promise of Brown v. Board of Ed,” finds that sentiment to be incorrect. In fact, racial segregation nationwide has returned to 1968 levels. This is primarily because students in Newark are not allowed access to nearby areas where there are far more opportunities. From the summary:
Believe it or not, many coveted magnet schools try to give enrollment priority to wealthy families, steering them away from high-quality zoned schools. It is one of the greatest ironies of public education that magnet schools created to reduce racial segregation and increase opportunities for low-income children of color now often intentionally disadvantage those same children.
There are many different types of helpers. a federal government that avoids all oversight; State courts “leave it to school district officials”; State legislatures have failed to “ensure that all children have equal access to public schools.” To increase educational equity, the report recommends that all states enact laws that protect families who want to enroll their children in out-of-district schools by reducing the importance of district and zip code.
Analysts grade each state based on whether its policies limit low-income families' access to better schools. Here's what New Jersey does well:
- State law addresses cross-district open enrollment. [through our limited Interdistrict Public School Choice Program]
- Schools/districts must conduct a lottery for interdistrict admissions when demand exceeds seats.
- Interdistrict open enrollment is tuition-free for families.
- Schools cannot classify and expel students with disabilities because of program capacity limitations.
Here's where New Jersey falls short:
- There is no general state statute governing admissions to all public schools.
- State law delegates authority to school districts to decide where students attend school.
- There is no appeals process for families dissatisfied with their existing public school placement.
- State law does not address open enrollment in school districts.
- State law does not address magnet school admissions.
- There is no general state statute governing admissions to all public schools.
- School districts are not required to participate in interdistrict open enrollment.
- The state does not require schools/districts to reserve seats for nonresident students.