This was presented by Eric Reese from the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University at the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference (TICTeC@Taipei) in Taipei on 12th September 2017. You can find out more information about the conference here: http://civictechfest.org/agenda Abstract: In this time of rising inequality and urban population growth, cities face real problems trying to achieve equity in service quality and access for their residents. Schooling presents a particularly large challenge — and when the sole determinant of which school children attend is their residential address, it can produce a spiral of unequal schooling conditions that are difficult to remedy. One solution is the creation of specializations in schools and attendance rules that permit children to matriculate across a range of schools. Through this technique, the close relationship between housing price and school resources can somewhat loosen, the resources of wealthier families can flow to a wider array of schools, and children from less-wealthy households can gain the advantages of a more economically diverse school environment and increased choice for where their children attend school. Civic Technology tools are playing a key role in improving the availability of information about schooling options to parents and increasing their interest in schools beyond their closest option. Eric examines the development process and effects of several “school chooser” tools currently implemented in the US and European cities of Vilnius, Boston, and Oakland.

1. The Civic Tech of School Enrollment:
Effects of School Chooser Tools
Eric Reese, Associate Director
ereese@jhu.edu | @ereese15

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GovEx <3 civic tech
- Growing expectation that government
services are also digital
- Pay utility bills, report potholes, get your
driver’s license renewed...and more
- Growth of public-focused tech cos/orgs
- Code for America & civic hackers
- Expanding vendor ecosystem
- Our work with cities
- US cities: data & UX improvements to achieve
public goals
- Outside US - Vilnius: specific goals and
partner with private sector

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Civic tech: tool that improves flow of civic information
Here’s a service!

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Policies can hinge on improved access to information
In order to work, some policies require a
broad stakeholder group to consider
significant amounts of new information.
“School choice” is a good example:
Increases students’ education opportunities
by giving them more enrollment options
Assumes students perform better by
choosing schools that better fit their needs
Without broadening access to information about enrollment options,
“school choice” policies are unlikely to work.

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Implementing school choice in cities
School reform initiatives are policy
innovations aimed at achieving popular
goals.
These conform to specific policy
context and educational structure:
US - Two main drivers
Quality - improving outcomes for students
Choice - improving mobility among schools
Vilnius - growing and unable to keep
up with demand for kindergartens.

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Nexus of school choice and civic tech: school choosers
Vilnius Cleveland
What is a school chooser?
An online tool designed to help parents/guardians discover more information
about schools within a particular area, often a city or school district.
Insert photo of Vilnius tool

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What are the effects of school finder tools?
1. Are the tools helping school districts achieve primary policy goals (e.g.,
increased choice, increased equity?)
2. Are the tools helping school districts achieve secondary administrative goals
(e.g., efficiency?)
3. Are the tools creating change as civic tech (e.g., changing policy to serve
users, cascading digitization, bias in who is served?)
Research design:
Interviews with program leaders and software developers, evaluation of
longitudinal enrollment data in three municipal cases (Vilnius, LT; Cleveland, OH;
Washington, DC.)

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Early evidence: achieving primary goals?
Primary goal: Students choose schools with better outcomes (better fit, higher
performing, more space)
Evidenced by: More students using the tool enrolled in schools other than the
closest available
Vilnius: Yes
- 4,000 unique users of tool in first
year available
- More students enrolling at schools
with shorter wait lists
Cleveland: Yes
- Enrollments in high-performing
schools rose, applications to failing
schools dropped by 50%.

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Early evidence: achieving secondary goals?
Secondary goal: School enrollment is a more efficient process
Evidenced by: Lower cost to enroll per student
Vilnius: Partial/unclear
- Efficient integration of tool with
enrollment (linking back and forth)
- Uncovered and investigated
incidents of manipulation/
corruption
Cleveland: Partial/unclear
- Savings from online enrollment
- Additional cost of mobile in-person
outreach
- Some outreach costs borne by new
non-profit

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Early evidence: other civic-tech effects?
Internal policy changes: interactions with
tool development changed policy
Digitization of new data: new uses of
data from tools, including data on what
kinds of schools people want and where
Unintended anti-equity consequences:
mitigated in Cleveland with in-person
outreach, but still evident
Tech: updating legal with making it more
friendly to individuals. Instead of wild west
of tech and legal later (or no legal at all)

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Takeaways So Far
1. Early stage in this research. Planning to
complete case studies this fall, produce
whitepaper this spring.
2. Integrating into larger context. How
does civic tech help cities achieve goals?
3. Understanding equity.
In the context of school choice, this is a
challenge: philosophical problem to
balance individual equity achievements
against total system.

14. Interested in collaborating in research on school
enrollment tech – or on understanding other civic tech
tools cities are using to achieve goals?
Get in Touch!
Eric Reese - ereese@jhu.edu
Emily Shaw - emilyshaw@jhu.edu