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Policymakers and researchers often talk about "autonomous schools" as if there's a single, agreed-upon definition of what that means. In reality, there's no standard design for autonomous school policies, and school autonomy can mean a lot of different things. The policies that states have enacted vary widely in terms of their goals, the parameters of the flexibility that they provide, and the structure of accountability that's in place for autonomous schools. As a result, autonomous schools operate under very different contours of autonomy and accountability from one state or district to the next. This report aims to define the range of state and district policy structures that enable school autonomy and accountability and identify common themes in how they are being implemented, so that decision-makers have a stronger understanding of how states and districts are evolving in their approaches to school autonomy and accountability. It's based on an in-depth analysis of autonomous school policies in four states where policies are representative of structures commonly in place across the country: Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and Massachusetts. The authors reviewed state laws and regulations and district policies, and interviewed dozens of state, district, and school leaders to develop a deep understanding of the design of each state's autonomous school policies and how they're being implemented on the ground, including an understanding of successes and challenges along the way. This executive summary provides an overview of the full report. [For "Staking out the Middle Ground: Policy Design for Autonomous Schools," see ED606452.]

Policymakers and researchers often talk about "autonomous schools" as if there's a single, agreed-upon definition of what that means. In reality, there's no standard design for autonomous school policies, and school autonomy can mean a lot of different things. The policies that states have enacted vary widely in terms of their goals, the parameters of the flexibility that they provide, and the structure of accountability that's in place for autonomous schools. As a result, autonomous schools operate under very different contours of autonomy and accountability from one state or district to the next. This report aims to define the range of state and district policy structures that enable school autonomy and accountability and identify common themes in how they are being implemented, so that decision-makers have a stronger understanding of how states and districts are evolving in their approaches to school autonomy and accountability. It's based on an in-depth analysis of autonomous school policies in four states where policies are representative of structures commonly in place across the country: Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and Massachusetts. The authors reviewed state laws and regulations and district policies, and interviewed dozens of state, district, and school leaders to develop a deep understanding of the design of each state's autonomous school policies and how they're being implemented on the ground, including an understanding of successes and challenges along the way. [For "Staking Out the Middle Ground: Policy Design for Autonomous Schools. Executive Summary," see ED606467.]

Fourteen percent of the nation's population lives in rural communities, and one in five K-12 students attends a rural school. This is a substantial portion of the population, but it's far too often overlooked by education analysts, advocates, and policymakers. Rural communities tend to face some persistent challenges, including higher rates of poverty, lower median household incomes, and lower rates of educational attainment compared to urban areas. The schools serving these rural communities often struggle with declining enrollment, high rates of child poverty, low economies of scale, and a lack of human capital and adequate transportation. Education policy and practice in rural communities must take into account broader community factors, such as limited economic opportunity, poor access to healthcare, and social challenges, like drug addiction. Moreover, rural communities are incredibly diverse, both economically and racially. Some of the country's most impoverished areas are communities with significant minority populations in the rural South, along the U.S.-Mexico border, and on Native American reservations throughout the West. Those focused on improving outcomes for low-income and minority students simply cannot continue to overlook rural America. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the state of rural communities and schools. It aims to equip advocates, decision-makers, and other stakeholders with a shared understanding of rural education to generate a more accurate and nuanced policy response.

This brief examines school integration and school choice through the lens of school transportation. It first provides a brief history of the role transportation has played in integration and choice policies. It then dives into three examples of initiatives that combine choice and integration, and the challenges they pose for transportation, including: (1) Magnet schools, which bring students together across neighborhoods or districts, introducing challenges for equitable and efficient transportation services; (2) Diverse-by-design charter schools, which commit to student diversity in their mission or design, but face transportation barriers around funding, economies of scale, and logistics common to other charter schools; and (3) Controlled choice district enrollment, which allows families to rank school choices while adjusting for school diversity in some way, and tries to make travel times and routes to school manageable for families and for buses. Often school transportation systems are an afterthought in policy conversations around complex topics like integration and choice, to the detriment of students and district budgets alike. Through smart policy choices and planning, it is possible for states, districts, and schools to tackle this challenge and focus on equity in school transportation. [This report is part of a series of publications on school transportation policy. The policy briefs build on the 2019 slide deck "The Challenges and Opportunities in School Transportation Today" and the 2017 report, "Miles to Go: Bringing School Transportation into the 21st Century" (ED602698).]

Diesel buses and personal vehicle trips for school transportation emit millions of tons of greenhouse gases per year into the environment, which contribute to global warming, and expose children to harmful pollutants that can affect their health and academic performance. What would it take for the yellow school bus--and school transportation systems as a whole--to go green? There are several impact reduction strategies districts can consider, with a range of cost and effectiveness implications: (1) idling time reduction; (2) diesel retrofits; (3) propane and CNG buses; (4) electric buses; and (5) walking and biking. Beyond environmental benefits, some impact reduction strategies can create long-term savings for districts by reducing fuel use, maintenance needs, and energy costs. This brief examines cases of electric school bus pilots, pros and cons of impact reduction strategies, funding streams for environmental improvements, and recommended next steps for states and districts to lessen the environmental impact of the journey to school. [This report is part of a series of publications on school transportation policy. The policy briefs build on the 2019 slide deck "The Challenges and Opportunities in School Transportation Today" and the 2017 report, "Miles to Go: Bringing School Transportation into the 21st Century" (ED602698).]

This report examines the structure of school transportation systems, the surrounding regulatory landscape, school transportation funding mechanisms, student safety, the impact of school choice, the growing need for school transportation data, and school transportation's effect on the environment. Drawing from these various perspectives, it asks whether the traditional system of district-provided school transportation is the best way to get kids to school in different district contexts, explores potential alternatives, and analyzes the practical and policy barriers and incentives around student transportation.