According to a new Brookings Institution Report
First in Zoning Restrictions
First in Economic Segregation
First in Housing Cost Gap
and
First in Test Score Gap (between low-income and middle/high income students)
Wow! First in all 4 categories measured!
The underlying paper argues that exclusionary zoning is the major factor contributing to the test score gap:
Eliminating exclusionary zoning in a metro area would, by reducing its housing cost gap, lower its school test-score gap by an estimated 4 to 7 percentiles—a significant share of the observed gap between schools serving the average low-income versus middle/higher-income student. As the nation grapples with the growing gap between rich and poor and an economy increasingly reliant on formal education, public policies should address housing market regulations that prohibit all but the very affluent from enrolling their children in high-scoring public schools in order to promote individual social mobility and broader economic security.
