Here’s a story in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune that reports two fundamental disappointments in the Choice is Yours program, a voluntary desegregation initiative in the state. Here are the relevant findings:

Nearly 5,000 students have participated in the program since 2001, but nearly 80 percent have not returned since it started. The report said 2,080 students use the Choice is Yours to go to school in the nine suburban school districts . . . For the comparison, students in third through seventh grade were tested in reading and math using the Northwest Achievement Level tests. The groups were nearly identical in demographic characteristics. This is the third year the comparative test results have been released. Minneapolis students who attended suburban schools outperformed district students during the 2004-05 school year. The following year, district students did better than their suburban peers. This time, district students did better than suburban students at every grade level in reading. The district cites early childhood and after-school programs as two reasons for the rise.