Going the Distance: Understand the Benefits of a Long Commute to School

R E S E A R C H R E P O R T Going the Distance Understand the Benefits of a Long Commute to School Patrick Denice Betheny Gross W A SH IN G TON UN IV E R S I TY I N S T. L OU I S C E N TE R ON R E I N V EN TI NG PU BL I C E D U C A TI ON October 2018 E D U C A T I O N P O L I C Y P R OG R A M A B O U T T H E U R B A N I N S T I T U T E The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places. A B O U T T H E C E N T E R O N R E I N V E N T IN G P U B L I C E D U C A T I O N The Center on Reinventing Public Education is a nonpartisan research and policy analysis center at the University of Washington Bothell. We develop, test, and support bold, evidence-based, systemwide solutions to address the most urgent problems in K–12 public education across the country. Our mission is to reinvent the education delivery model, in partnership with education leaders, to prepare all American students to solve tomorrow’s challenges. Since 1993, CRPE’s research, analysis, and insights have informed public debates and innovative policies that enable schools to thrive. Our work is supported by multiple foundations, contracts, and the US Department of Education. Copyright © October 2018. Urban Institute. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to the Urban Institute. Cover image by Monkey Business Images/iStock. Contents Acknowledgments iv Going the Distance 1 The Benefits and Costs of Traveling Long Distances to School 1 Data and Methods 4 Denver Is a City of School Choosers 5 Denver’s High School Super Travelers 6 What Are Super Travelers Traveling For? 9 Conclusion 15 Notes 17 References 18 About the Authors 19 Statement of Independence 20 IV A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S Acknowledgments This report was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is available at urban.org/fundingprinciples. We would like to thank the transportation and enrollment departments in Denver Public Schools for helping us access the data used in this report and for their thoughtful feedback and review of this analysis. Going the Distance Many school choice advocates assume that if a student chooses a school, no matter how far from home, the benefits outweigh any drawbacks. But when students opt for far-flung schools, do they always get stronger academic programs, a broader array of school activities, or other benefits? Is it worth it to go the distance? In this report, we focus on a subgroup of students in Denver, Colorado, whose first-choice schools on their ninth grade applications are far from home. We then consider whether these first choices would give students access to stronger academic outcomes, fewer disciplinary incidents, advanced courses, dual-language programs, or sports or arts programs. We found that this subgroup of Denver students, if they are accepted to their first-choice schools, would attend schools with stronger outcomes, fewer reported disciplinary incidents, and more advanced courses and dual-language programs. Although these students, “super travelers,” would not necessarily need to travel as far as they plan to for any one of these benefits, it is difficult for most of them to find the same bundle of benefits in a school closer to home. Though far from conclusive, these results suggest a need for continued innovation in increasing access to and minimizing the costs of transportation options and for considering school programs holistically when building and managing schools. The Benefits and Costs of Traveling Long Distances to School A 2018 Urban Institute report, The Road to School, focused on the demands for transportation in five cities where school choice rates are high and found that most students’ commutes seem manageable at less than 20 minutes. But some students go to extraordinary lengths to get to school every day (Blagg et al. 2018). An accompanying feature, “The Early Bell: When School Choice Means Crossing Town,” profiles a high school student in Washington, DC, who commutes to school with her grandmother starting at 7:30 a.m. in rush-hour traffic that can make her 10-mile commute as long as an hour