Study

District open-enrollment policies have gained traction in many urban areas as a way to give students more access to high-quality schools, but a new study suggests students who were "big fish" in their neighborhood schools can have a rough road in a new school, even if it is academically better.

Researchers at the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research found that class rank affects Windy City students' grades and test scores and even their persistence in college, and that students of similar academic ability in 8th grade can nonetheless hold very different class ranks depending on the school they choose to attend...