Big easy choice: schools in New Orleans.

• Author: Snell, Lisa
• Position: Unfettered public school choice - Brief article

ONE UNEXPECTED by-product of Hurricane Katrina: New Orleans is now the only city in America offering unfettered public school choice.

Schools have dropped residency requirements, so any student living anywhere in the city can register at any school on a first come, first served basis. (If individual schools are oversubscribed, a lottery determines who gets to attend.) This year, students can choose from 31 charter schools, 17 state-run schools, and five schools run by the local district. Twenty-five different organizations, from nonprofits to national charter chains, are running schools, and the options run from comprehensive curricula to niche schools featuring early college, French immersion, Montessori, the arts, and architectural design.

Schools fought to attract customers with radio and TV advertising, enrollment fairs, visits to local churches and community groups, and roadside signs pitching the benefits of their programs. The New Orleans Times-Picayune...