| Minneapolis Schools, like most school | | | | the building capacity of the more desirable |
| districts, struggles with diversity. They | | | | schools. |
| struggle with making sure their schools are | | | | |
| not segregated based on color or economic | | | | The Minneapolis Schools have looked at |
| status. That is difficult when people of like | | | | various options to aid parent choice. But |
| economic status tend to live in certain | | | | some things, like providing transportation |
| areas. | | | | for students who choose not to attend their |
| | | | neighborhood schools, is almost impossible to |
| One of the ways Minneapolis Schools achieves | | | | fit into an already stretched budget. |
| this is through parent choice. Parents in | | | | |
| Minneapolis Schools are given options such as | | | | Minneapolis Schools labels schools as |
| private school vouchers, charter schools, and | | | | "racially identifiable" if they are not |
| opting to send their children outside of | | | | adequately desegregated. These schools |
| their neighborhood. Although this program has | | | | receive funding to attract students into |
| done a good job of helping to desegregate | | | | their buildings- but this doesn't always |
| schools, there are some areas in the | | | | work. |
| Minneapolis Schools where this has had the | | | | |
| opposite affect. | | | | Upper income white parents hesitate to send |
| | | | their children into lower income |
| There are some Minneapolis Schools where | | | | neighborhoods, even when the education itself |
| white students are transferring out of | | | | is comparable. There is some rational basis |
| schools where they are already the minority, | | | | to this as studies have shown that students |
| and students of color are transferring into | | | | can be pulled wither up or down by their |
| these schools. One of the obstacles to this | | | | academic surroundings. So bringing |
| program is that there simply are not enough | | | | better-educated families into these poorer |
| white students enrolled in the Minneapolis | | | | areas is likely to benefit the lower income |
| Schools to balance the numbers. Another | | | | families, but there is fear that it will |
| obstacle is that students struggling to | | | | negatively impact the students from the upper |
| transfer into these schools are overwhelming | | | | income families. |