The Public School Lottery - Setting Expectations

Expectation management is a term that is bandied about in my home quite a bit. When I have been gone all day and my husband has been caring for our daughter, in calling to check in he will say, "I just want to set your expectations about the cleanliness of the house right now...". If I have had a bad day, and he calls me up to say when he is coming home from work, I will say, "I would like to set your expectations about my mood right now. It isn't good."

Expectation management prepares us mentally.  Sometimes it is for an upcoming reality, like a dirty house or a bad mood. Sometimes it is just for a limitation, like not being able to complete a task when you thought you would. All people and systems have limitations - and it is good to know about them in advance. The advance preparation may allow us space to be our best selves - to react with kindness instead of frustration, to think instead of panic - and in doing so, it can give us the space to develop a solid plan B. We can shift around plans, put more people on the job, tell the client we aren't going to be ready on time - we can move forward.  However, without the notice, without a person saying, "This is what you can expect here," plan B becomes nonexistent, or thrown together at the last minute - in a way that may work, or it may not.

Since you all are a part of my internet family, I want to set your expectations about your local public school lottery.

These lotteries are actually one of the most heartbreaking aspects of my job as an educational consultant. And for me, most of this heartbreak could be eliminated (or lessened at least) if our school districts had the ability to set people's expectations about the limitations of their local school choice processes (also called lotteries, Options, transfers, etc.).  But they are kind of busy - being underfunded and all - so I am going to help them out.

To start, the term "lottery" has many reference points for many of us, so we make assumptions based on what we think a lottery means. Some of those assumptions are true, and some are false. For example:

• You can't win if you don't play - True. If you don't turn in a form and register for a space in your local public school district within appropriate time frames, you most likely won't get into the school of your choice. Deadlines are important - just like for the actual lottery - and if you turn in your forms late you move to the end of the line. 

• Anyone can play. False. You will need to show identification and proof(s) of residency before a school district will let you enroll through the typical school assignment system. You also need to already live in the neighborhood - it doesn't matter if you intend to move to an area - most lotteries are based on where you can prove you live at the time you turn in the paperwork. Your future home doesn't matter to them. (There is an alternative route, called an intradistrict transfer, but that is for another day.)

• The lottery rules are the same everywhere: Really False. Every district has their own rules, deadlines, and structure for placing students in schools. Research yours and know how the system works. 

• While the odds are high, everyone has an equal opportunity to win. False. Each school district (and their school board) has pre-determined the school choice priorities for their lottery. Those priorities are organized into database that all families are run through to determine placement. Those priorities determine who "wins" a seat at a given school in what priority. (See here for a simple explanation of OUSD's priorities as an example.) 

• There are a variety of factors that can impact this process including: 

1. Home school (or who lives in a certain attendance area)
2. Siblings (if an incoming child already has a sibling that attends that school - to keep families together)
3. Balancing ethnicity, linguistic diversity, socio-economic status, parent education levels at each school site
4. The needs of special programs like language immersion programs, special education, etc. at a given site. 
5. Whether a parent wants a given school or not
6. Impact of district enrollment levels on the process 
7. Impact of school closures on the process  

• Don't quit your day job. True. OK - maybe I am stretching the metaphor a little here, but most people don't quit their job before they know they have won the lottery. Waiting until you have the money in hand is the sane person's plan B. This is absolutely true for school lotteries as well. It is wonderful to have faith that you will get your top choice school - but it is also necessary to plan for a different outcome in case things don't go your way. And a solid Plan B is MUCH easier to formulate early in the school selection season than later. 

                    Your Plan B should include minimally:

• Knowledge of your district's system for being put on a wait list or their appeals process. Here is a good start article on what to ask district personnel by Great Schools. 

• Research on a few other schools in your area (charter, religious, private) that may also meet your family's needs and their application deadlines.

• You can't fix the lottery. True. This is one of the most common question I am asked as a consultant - do I know how to "play" the lottery to guarantee you your first choice school. No. I don't. Other people WAY smarter than me have tried to figure it out and there are too many variables at play. And - it is run by a computer. I swear to you. I have seen them. It doesn't matter who you bake brownies for - the computer doesn't care.

When asked, I always recommend to people (kindly) that instead of spending your precious time working the potential angles of the school lottery system to get your number one school, to spend your time figuring out what other schools in your district may meet your child's needs. Spend time formulating a solid Plan B instead. Even if you get your favorite school, you won't regret having more information about other schools in your area - and you will have greater peace of mind when you receive your placement letter.

I hope this helps a little going into public school enrollment season. What are your questions when it comes to the lottery? Post them below - we can help you find the answers!