New York City, the largest public school system in the country, initiated citywide choice in 1992. There is not yet conclusive evidence about its benefits, although some schools have made significant efforts to reform, while others, primarily magnet schools, developed attractive programs that have increased student achievement. Desegregation plans . Cambridge and Boston in Massachusetts use choice as a means to achieve racial and ethnic balance in schools that previously primarily served students of color. The program has been largely successful in doing this, although some students are not admitted to their first choice school and there still exists some inequities in resources and staffing.
Voucher plans .
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, implemented the nation's first voucher plan in 1990. Preliminary findings indicate that low-income minority students in the choice plan have improved academically. Proposed voucher plans in some other states have been rejected by voters, but Cleveland, Ohio, has a plan that encompasses all public, private, and religious schools. Effects of Choice Choice can be limited to one district and thus have minimal educational design consequences, or it can be statewide and intersectional and thereby completely alter the way schools are organized. Choice plans tend to fit within the traditional structure of American education.