As districts across the country have become more diverse and students are able to attend schools not determined by their zip code, the need for accessible education data has grown exponentially.
Education Week reported this week on the School Choice Design Challenge, which resulted in the creation of six mobile applications or ‘apps,’ with which students can compare data on the city’s 732 high school programs.
The apps – created at the relatively low cost of $72,000 – allow for side-by-side comparisons of schools, and have reportedly become useful for low-income and immigrant families in search of educational alternatives.
The ease at which NYC families can access this technology demonstrates the positive effects and popularity of having access to school data. Transparency of information is a hallmark of Parent Power, which will hopefully continue to expand beyond this Big Apple app.