Dive Brief:

• A 10-page report issued by the Brown Center on Education at the Brookings Institute names New Orleans, New York, and Newark as the top districts for school choice options among the nation's 100 largest districts.
• According to the report, Newark, for example, stood out for its use of a "centralized computer-based algorithm," which it uses to to assign public high school students to schools based on preference.
• On the other hand, the One Newark system has also been criticized for separating siblings, stopping students from enrolling in neighborhood schools, and creating overly long commutes.

Dive Insight:

All three of the top districts have seen their fair share of controversy: New Orleans with its all-charter district, New York with its ongoing disputes involving charter caps and co-location with public schools, and Newark, as noted above, with One Newark.

According to NJ.com, the Newark district's computer-based algorithm is so guarded that the city's mayor, Ras Baraka, issued an open-letter to state education commissioner David Hespe, asking for more information in regards to how it places families in schools.

In January state lawmakers and members of a joint public schools panel blasted Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson for her leadership style and the One Newark plan. At the time, Anderson had just detailed the plan — which included universal enrollment, budget cuts, and a facilities agenda —​ and was met with a call for her resignation from state Sen. Ron Rice.