School Access  A new report suggests there's a real correlation
between zoning laws and the access to a high quality public
school education.  The report by the Brookings Institution's
Metropolitan Policy Program analyzed data from 84-thousand U-S
schools in the nation's 100 largest cities, including Houston.
It found that zoning laws are often barriers that create
economic segregation and prevent children from getting a quality
education. Although Houston stacked-up well when it came to less
restrictive zoning laws, the study's author, Jonathon Rothwell,
says that doesn't mean there still aren't education roadblocks
here in Houston.  "It's still very expensive in Houston to live
near a high-scoring school relative to a low-scoring school.
It's about 2.6 times more expensive to live near a high-scoring
school and that represents thousands of dollars in annual
housing costs."  Several cities in Connecticut scored the worst
when it came to restrictive zoning that creates economic
segregation. Houston fared well