Publisher: Unpublished

Open enrollment has existed in the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) since 1961. However, it did not become a significant practice and source of controversy until the mid 1990s. Spurred by a concerned and vocal group of parents' discontent with the District's implementation of the "middle school philosophy," coupled with a perceived lack of emphasis on academics in BVSD more generally, various choice options began to proliferate. This was also a time when the school choice movement began accelerating at both the state and national levels. To date, the practices and effects of open enrollment have not been systematically described and evaluated. One purpose of this study is to provide such a description and evaluation. A closely related purpose is to provide information to BVSD officials, the School Board, and the public that they will find useful in deliberating about what reforms in BVSD's open enrollment policy might be indicated.