Reason Foundation analyst: Alaska has no statewide open‑enrollment law; expert outlines model provisions

Jude Schwabach, senior education policy analyst at the Reason Foundation, presented national research on open‑enrollment policies and told the task force that Alaska currently lacks a statewide law governing open enrollment and ranks low in model comparisons.

Schwabach said open‑enrollment policies let students transfer to public schools outside their assigned school and that participation varies by state, district density and time. Citing 19‑state data, he said roughly 1.6 million students used open enrollment in that sample and that states with strong laws — for example Colorado, Delaware and Arizona — show higher participation rates (Colorado was cited at about 28% participation in public school transfers).

He described seven elements of strong law, emphasizing statewide cross‑district participation, transparent local reporting (capacity by grade level), family‑friendly procedures and state‑level transparency so families and policymakers understand program effects. Schwabach noted rural states can benefit from open enrollment when districts are within striking range; he also acknowledged Alaska’s unique geography and data gaps (Alaska does not publish some within‑district transfer data publicly).

Committee members asked for student achievement data associated with open‑enrollment moves; Schwabach offered to share additional evidence by email. The chair asked staff to inventory existing district open‑enrollment practices in urban areas as part of the task force’s follow‑up work.

What’s next: the Reason Foundation analyst will share additional materials by email; task force staff will collect district open‑enrollment policies for the committee’s review.