school-admissions
=================
We are trying to understand how families discover, apply and enroll in their school. We want to help families and students easily get the school information they want, in a way that they understand. We will enable them to discover their school options and to more easily apply to schools.

We will share what we’ve learned about what parents are looking for, how they feel about the process, and the options or lack of options. 


Right now we are working on Phase I, understanding the diversity of application process. 

We have an e-mail list here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cps-school-admissions

and share documents here: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwPsV5HvDYoMaEVVRlFDUVV2ZEU&usp=sharing

school-admissions
=================

### What's the problem?
One way that parents/students in Chicago can have a say in their education is by applying to attend schools other than their default neighborhood school. However, the CPS school application process is riddled with complexity. The result is that parents who know how to navigate this complexity can be savvy about applying to schools, while less savvy parents/students are put at a disadvantage.

### What we are trying to tackle, broadly
We are trying to understand how families discover, apply and enroll in their school. We want to help families and students easily get the school information they want, in a way that they understand. We will enable them to discover their school options and to more easily apply to schools. We will share what we’ve learned about what parents are looking for, how they feel about the process, and the options or lack of options.

### What we are trying to tackle, right now
About 50% of students in Chicago apply to a school other than their neighborhood school - this indicates that many people are interested in having a say in their education. However, many people who apply to schools often only apply to a limited number. It doesn't seem that people are limiting applications b/c they're not interested in other schools - it seems more likely that the complexity of the application process prevents those who aren't counseled/savvy from applying strategically. Since applications are largely a numbers game, applying to more schools would be a simple way to boost chances of getting into at least one school. We are currently working on a webpage/app that urges people to apply to more schools by displaying admissions rate information in a compelling way.

### Interested in getting involved?!
We have an e-mail list [here](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/cps-school-admissions) and share documents [here](https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwPsV5HvDYoMaEVVRlFDUVV2ZEU&usp=sharing)

We meet up every Tuesday at [Open Gov Hack Night](http://opengovhacknight.org/)

If you're new to github, worry not! We'll show you around

Update readme to be more onboard-y
Update readme to be more onboard-y