The Brookings Institution has released a new “Education Choice and Competition Index” (ECCI) to rate the availability of schooling options for families in the nation’s 25 largest school districts (H/T Eduwonk). RiShawn Biddle has a great breakdown of the index’s strengths and shortcomings, including the need for a clearer picture of the quality of choices and an expansion to cover more districts.

Expanding to the 100 largest districts, as Biddle urges, would include some of Colorado’s own. I’m pretty sure Denver Public Schools would do well on the ECCI, given the commitment to expanding charter and innovation school options. Interestingly, the Denver Post featured a piece yesterday about how DPS schools are increasing their efforts to market themselves to parents.

For those paying attention, it’s not the first time the local media has brought attention to this trend of a more active, consumer-oriented approach going on in Denver schools. Which means it’s not the first time I get to tell you about the important role our fabulous School Choice for Kids website has to play in arming parents with some key information.

Of course, the site covers not only Denver but all of Colorado. Which makes me wonder how Douglas County — with its one-of-a-kind local board-initiated voucher program (not to mention a healthy charter sector) — would fare on the ECCI. An index worth its salt would have to relate Jefferson County and Cherry Creek lower. So I guess for now, little ol’ me will just have to content myself with wondering what an expanded version of the Brookings educational choice index would look like.