Get Educated Now

Saint Joan Antida featured in MJS

March 11, 2009

Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel includes a column on the success that Saint Joan Antida, an all girls high school enrolling 302 students through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, has had with overcoming the challenges facing ninth grade students. Click here to see the story.

And if you missed it, see School Choice Wisconsin's Up-Close profile of Saint Joan here.

Henry Tyson impresses crowd at Bucketworks

March 5, 2009

St. Marcus Schools Superintendent Henry Tyson is the topic of an entry today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel School Zone Blog. Tyson spoke last night to a group of young professionals at Bucketworks.

According to the entry, Tyson "blew away" the crowd "with his commitment to educating urban children." Tyson's school is currently serving 281 students through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.

How do Milwaukee parents choose schools?

March 4, 2009

A new report from School Choice Wisconsin reviews the available academic research on how Milwaukee parents make school choices. The research indicates that parents overwhelmingly cite academic quality as the most important factor they consider when choosing.

Download the full report here.

Closing Wisconsin's achievement gap

December 3, 2008

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel comments today on the findings of a new report released by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. According to the paper:

"[W]hile Wisconsin does well compared with other states in preparing young people for college and awarding degrees, the gaps between white students and minorities are among the largest in the nation."

This is not the first time the paper has commented on Wisconsin's large achievement gaps.

One positive not mentioned in any of these articles is that Wisconsin is home to the nation's largest school choice program for urban students. According to University of Arkansas Professor and school choice expert Patrick Wolf, school choice is empirically linked to achievement gains in African-Americans. He writes in the April 2008 BYU Law Review:

"Educational achievement gains from vouchers appear to be largest and most consistent for African-American students."

What if you didn?t have to come down hard in the first place?

October 30, 2008
The following column originally appeared in the October 29, 2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Right On" Blog.

By Patrick McIlheran

So we’ve got nine kids at a Milwaukee high school, Bradley Tech, arrested in a brawl and a cop having to have her face stitched up at the hospital for having tried to break it up.

There were actually 16 young men in the brawl, said Milwaukee Public Schools spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin. The situation was settled in about an hour, she said, and a regular school life went on afterward.

Well, except for the good kids freaked out that police get beat up at their school. That’ll shake up your perceptions of safety, won’t it?

Which aren’t so hot at MPS, to be honest. The nonprofit group School Choice Wisconsin, which pushes the notion that poor children should have some alternative to MPS, rounded up the numbers in a report just made public (pdf).

The upshot: No, the bystanders don’t proceed with quite the same attitude toward education once the fight is broken up, the classmates are arrested and the school safety officer is taken to Mt. Sinai’s ER.

Take, for instance, how Milwaukee children feel about their own school’s safety. These aren’t numbers from the school choice activists, either: They’re from the first year of the five-year study of school choice by outside education scholars. That study, which so far had been trying to establish baselines to see how choice and MPS kids fare in later years, asked lots of questions, including about whether students feel safe in school.

The answer: More so in choice schools. It asked kids whether their school “makes sure that classrooms are safe and orderly,” and the answer was yes from 37% of MPS students, the researchers found, but 54% in choice schools. How about out on the playground? It was 35% of kids in MPS feeling safe, 53% of choice kids. Among parents, 36% of MPS parents felt their school was satisfactory about safety, while 55% of choice-school parents said as much.

Naturally, most children should feel safe, if not all, and MPS has a hard row to hoe in getting there. For one thing, children at choice schools are there precisely because their parents chose so – one would expect, then, children from families with a little more engagement, more buy-in. What’s more, choice schools can expel troublemakers – though so can MPS. The public school system’s expulsions and suspensions have tripled in 15 years, according to the Journal Sentinel. One frequent place to which expelled students turn, according to choice school principals, is choice schools, where a different environment can help.

“We believe in coming down fast and coming down hard,” said St. Aubin, and insofar as MPS simply can’t tolerate fights in the hallways, this is good.

But what if you didn’t have to come down fast and hard in the first place? This is the more interesting bit that School Choice Wisconsin brings up: In choice schools, there’s just a much lower likelihood that the cops have to get called in the first place.

This is especially true in the high schools. SCW researcher Mike Ford got police-call data from the Milwaukee police. In 2007, the calls shook out this way:

Police had to be summoned to MPS high schools, with a total enrollment of 27,210, a total of 8,462 times. In high schools taking part in the choice program, with 10,047 students, police were called 423 times.

While the choice schools, thus, plainly weren’t perfect, that works out to 0.042 police calls per student at choice high schools – and 0.311 calls per student at MPS high schools.

That is, when you account for enrollment, police were more than seven times as likely to be called to an MPS high school as to a choice high school.

In elementary schools, the ratio was less – 0.112 police calls per student to MPS schools, compared to 0.054 calls per student to choice elementary schools.

This could be for many reasons. There’s that self-selection factor I mentioned, though the most alienated students tend to drop out and darken MPS doorways no more – a different kind of self-selection. And while choice schools can expel troublemakers, they cannot bar children who made trouble elsewhere from applying and entering – they are required by law to give them a chance, since choice schools must admit any student who meets the income guidelines. In fact, if you’re talking the effects of poverty, while MPS is a district made up mainly of children from poor families, choice students are by definition from poor families.

I suppose one could surmise that choice schools are just letting fighting go on without calling police. This, however, seems unlikely, given the way choice students and parents report feeling far safer. To the contrary, as the SCW report notes, schools have been tossed out of the choice program for enduring brawls; so far, no MPS high school has been closed for that reason. Tolerating fights is an existential danger to choice schools, something not true in MPS, despite the system’s undoubted urgency about student safety.

One wonders, then: Given that the student populations are similar, given that they’re drawn from the same neighborhoods and are trying to accomplish the same thing, education, perhaps there’s something about the discipline and methods that choice schools are using that could help MPS schools restore order.

Might it not be time for MPS officials to find out what choice schools are doing right?

School Choice Saves Taxpayers $180 Million Since 1994

November 26, 2008
November 24, 2008

For Immediate Release

Contact: Susan Mitchell (414-319-9160)

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) has saved Wisconsin taxpayers an estimated $180 million since 1994, according to an article in a leading education journal.

“The history of the MPCP illustrates how voucher programs can provide significant taxpayer savings,” according to “Who Gains, Who Loses?” an article appearing in the Winter 2009 edition of Education Next: A Journal of Opinion and Research.

The article’s author is Robert M. Costrell, Ph.D., a professor of education reform and economics at the University of Arkansas. He provides the most comprehensive analysis yet undertaken of the fiscal impact of the MPCP. He explains that savings reflect the fact that per pupil costs to state and local taxpayers for the MPCP are about 29 per cent less than costs in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). (When federal and other public support is included, total MPCP costs of $6,607 per pupil are about 51 per cent less than the $13,486 per pupil in MPS. Source: School Choice Wisconsin.)

Costrell says the taxpayer savings are not allocated uniformly. He identifies a statewide benefit to taxpayers of state taxes and lower property taxes for property taxpayers outside Milwaukee. In contrast, he says Milwaukee property taxpayers are adversely affected.

The most recent school year included in Costrell’s analysis is 2007-08, when Milwaukee property taxpayers paid more for a student in the MPCP than for a student in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). However, a report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau issued last week showed that in 2008-09 the Milwaukee cost for a student in the MPCP was less than for an MPS student.

“Professor Costrell demonstrates that the MPCP saves money for state taxpayers and property taxpayers outside of Milwaukee.” according to Susan Mitchell, president of School Choice Wisconsin. She added, “Based on the new Fiscal Bureau report, we also know that Milwaukee property taxpayers now pay less for a student in the MPCP than for a student in MPS.” Mitchell said. “As the state prepares to deal with a multi-billion dollar deficit, citizens need to understand that restrictions or cutbacks in Milwaukee’s choice program would come at the expense of taxpayers throughout Wisconsin.”

Costrell’s article is available at http://media.hoover.org/documents/ednext_20091_62.pdf.

The Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center report has identified Education Next as one of the ten most influential sources of information on education policy. Education Next was the sole journal, peer-reviewed or otherwise, listed among the top-ten information sources in the EPE survey, surpassed only by agencies of the U.S. government, Education Week, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the non-profit organization Education Trust.

##

School Choice in Racine?

November 17, 2008
The Racine Journal Times editorializes in favor of school choice in its November 15, 2008 edition. The paper specifically cites research from University of Minnesota Sociologist John Robert Warren:

"One study earlier this year suggested Milwaukee Public Schools would have graduated 20 percent more students over a five-year period had the district’s graduation rate matched that of school-choice participants."

Last year, a proposal to bring school choice to Racine was included in the Assembly version of the state budget, but failed to be signed into law.

Over 20,000 students using the MPCP

November 10, 2008
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that over 20,000 students are currently using the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) to attend 127 private schools of their choice.

You can see a breakdown of how many students are attending each school here.

This year's enrollment increase of over 1,000 students marks the 17th time in 18 years that enrollment in the MPCP has gone up from the previous year.

Wisconsin School Choice Gets an A

September 16, 2008
A report out of the Heartland Institute grading states on school choice gives Wisconsin an A based on the strength of the Milwaukee Parental School Choice Program, the Wisconsin charter school law, and the Open Enrollment public school choice program.

Two other states, Arizona and Florida, also received A's.

Click here to view the full report.

Schools and Public Opinion

September 24, 2008
The fall 2008 edition of Education Next features am article by WIlliam Howell, Martin West, and Paul Peterson detailing the declining confidence that Americans have in their schools. The survey research finds:

"[A] public that takes an increasingly critical view both of public schools as they exist today and, perhaps ironically, of many prominent reforms designed to improve them."

Contrast that with the situation in Milwaukee, the city with more school choice than anywhere else in the United States. The School Choice Demonstration Project found:

"Overall levels of satisfaction are...higher than the national average."

Dreams

September 8, 2008

Carl Brown: School Choice is a Creative Solution

September 16, 2008
Carl Brown on how school choice makes Milwaukee a better place.

Shiely: Why Milwaukee Needs School Choice

September 16, 2008
Briggs and Stratton CEO John Shiely explains what school choice means for Milwaukee in a globalized world.

The Truth About School Choice

September 16, 2008
Pastor McVicker speaks the truth about school choice.

Paul Sweeney: School Choice is Good for Small Businesses

September 16, 2008
Paul Sweeney explains why school choice matters to small businesses like his.

School Choice: Bet on Milwaukee

September 16, 2008
Bucyrus International CEO Tim Sullivan explains why he is betting on Milwaukee.

Tim Sullivan: School Choice Gives Milwaukee a Competitive Edge

September 16, 2008
Bucyrus International CEO Tim Sullivan explains why Milwaukee needs school choice.

Milwaukee's Improving Graduation Rates

September 16, 2008
School choice reform in Milwaukee has spurred a phenomenon all too unique in large urban cities; improving graduation rates.

See the graphic to the left, and be sure to check out expert research out of the University of Minnesota.

School Choice Research Plentiful, High Quality, and Positive

September 16, 2008
The Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice, a group that receives substantial funding from the National Education Association, recently released a new review of school choice research that offered some surprising conclusions given the group’s historic hostility to school choice. The report commented on the body of research on school choice programs similar in design to Milwaukee:

• “…a relatively large number of studies…are available.”
• “The quality of the studies is reasonably high.”
• “The results—on the whole—are slightly positive, particularly with regard to performance of African-American students.”

In an Education Week article on the report prominent school choice researcher Patrick Wolf went further stating, “It’s a little simplistic to suggest studies are merely mixed… when the findings are positive for many participants and zero for some.”

Statement on LAB Audit of School Choice Test Score Data

September 16, 2008
School Choice Wisconsin president Susan Mitchell released the following statement in response to a Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) report on the School Choice Demonstration Project:

Raw test data released on a school-by-school basis are not meaningful and even can be misleading. Such data will not provide legislators or parents with useful information about the academic quality of individual private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP).

School Choice Wisconsin favors an independent annual report available to Milwaukee parents that includes school-by-school testing data based on individual student progress. This report would use a common basis for reporting test scores at schools in the MPCP, the Milwaukee Public Schools, and at independent charter schools. We also favor an aggressive information campaign to inform parents about their options.

The Lie That Won?t Die

October 2, 2008
Throughout this decade, opponents of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) have misrepresented its fiscal impact on school districts around the state. Despite multiple reports to the contrary from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), opponents repeatedly claim that the program causes funds to be shifted to Milwaukee from districts outside Milwaukee.

This falsehood is particularly common in election cycles. This year is no different. A television ad sponsored by Building a Stronger Wisconsin claims that a candidate in Senate District 12 who supports the MPCP favors “sending our tax dollars to private voucher schools in Milwaukee even through our local schools are hurting.”

Yet data from the nonpartisan LFB show that school districts in Senate District 12 receive more than one million dollars in additional state aid as a result of the MPCP. That translates into a dollar-for-dollar property tax reduction for residents of those school districts. In other words, the impact is exactly the opposite of the television ad’s claim.

If the MPCP ended, independent researchers estimate that ninety percent of the low-income students who participate would transfer to the Milwaukee Public Schools. As a result, according to the LFB report, school districts in Senate District 12 would lose state aid in the following amounts.

School District - Reduction in school aids
Rhinelander School District -100,092
Antigo School District - 241,704
Athens School District - 48,489
Merrill Area School District -282,270
Tomahawk School District - 100,016
Marinette School District - 222,117
Menominee Indian School District - 78,030
Niagara School District - 44,313
White Lake School District - 39,537
Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District -101,075
Total -1,257,643

In the event of such reductions, those districts either would need to raise property taxes to offset the aid loss or cut educational programming.

A list of all 350 school districts that lose money if the MPCP ends can be found in the report "The Fiscal Impact of Ending Choice."

Sources: (1) Robert Costrell, “The Fiscal Impact of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. 1993-2008,” The School Choice Demonstration Project, February 2008; and (2) September 10, 2008 memo from LFB to Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald (available at www.SchoolChoiceWI.org.)

A Healthy Investment in the Future

October 3, 2008
The parish nurses at St. Marcus Evangelical Lutheran Church and school on Palmer and North Avenue travel from all parts of the metro area to volunteer at the school. The team of seven Registered Nurses volunteer their time and professional talent to promote student wellness. Linda Golembiewski, RN, MSN, comes from as far away as Plymouth to coordinate the school’s vision screening program. Golembiewski has elected to volunteer at St. Marcus rather than seek other volunteer or employment opportunities closer to home. She and her colleagues know that they make a major impact on the health and well being of this special group of children.

“We have found that many children in the school do require vision screening. A significant number of these students do not have insurance to cover their vision health needs,” said Golembiewski.

After identifying routine vision screening as a need among St. Marcus Lutheran School’s student population, the parish nurses initiated the screening program nine years ago.

“This year we screened all 300 students. Of that group 60 students needed to be referred for a further vision assessment,” Golembiewski said.

To assist the students requiring referrals, Lens Crafters’ Gift of Sight Program offered 35 of the 60 students the free assessment/diagnosis and eyeglass program the company provides to students who lack health insurance options. All 35 children were found to have vision issues.

Faculty members have reported that the students who now had improved vision because they received assistance saw an increase in self-confidence resulting in higher grades. If the children can not see well, they can not perform to their full academic potential. Hence, this is an important program for the students.

One particular past incident impressed Golembiewski.

“Several years ago a student in our kindergarten program came to the
vision screening wearing glasses. His mother reported that she had recently had the boy to the eye doctor for a necessary vision assessment. During the parish nurse screening the child was challenged in reading the eye chart appropriately and his body behavior indicated he was having vision problems. Hence, the parish nurses referred the boy to an eye doctor for further evaluation. It was during this evaluation that the boy was diagnosed as having a genetic eye disorder. If it had been left untreated, this disorder would have likely resulted in the child’s blindness.”

The parish nurse team has developed a Wellness Program in an effort to help each child maintain his/her optimal level of health. Vision Screening is but one example of the Wellness Program. In this way the parish nurses continue to make a positive health difference in the education of the students and their ability to learn.

How and Why BAEO was Founded

October 6, 2008
The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) is a grassroots organization vital to expanding school choice across the country.

Watch below as Dr. Howard Fuller discuses how and why the organization was founded.

Graduate Support Program Successful

October 7, 2008
Notre Dame Middle School (NDMS) graduated its first class of eighth graders in 1999. It was an exciting time for students, parents, and teachers. Yet, these young girls were leaving to face the challenges of their teen years without the protective environment of Notre Dame.

“When the girls move on to high school, they go from a supportive environment close to home where the other students are like them to being a minority at a school farther from home,” said Angela Ulmer, Director of NDMS Graduate Support Program.

Notre Dame is unique in Wisconsin. The only all-girls middle school in the state, it is located in a predominantly Hispanic area where many of the girls’ families speak only Spanish.

The NDMS Graduate Support Program was designed to support these girls as they transition into high school. According to Ulmer, “the program helps the girls get from here to there successfully with their ethnic identity intact.”

To do this, the program literally becomes the alum’s extended family. Ulmer personally picks many of the girls up after school and drives them to NDMS. The ride gives her time to find out what’s happening at high school and to discuss issues specific to teenage girls. She helps the girls address challenges ranging from their new, unfamiliar social environment to academics. When they arrive at NDMS, Ulmer monitors a study hall where computers and tutoring are available until 6:00 p.m..

“We typically see forty different girls a week, with twenty or so attending each evening,” Ulmer says. “The younger they are, the more often they return. The older girls typically become more connected to their high schools and don’t need as much support. This is exactly what we hope to achieve with our alums.”

Getting these girls through this critical transition does not happen without a lot of tender loving care. Ulmer works with the high school staff and even college admissions offices in her efforts to help the girls navigate the system. Her help is important because many of the girls’ parents speak only Spanish.

Angela Ulmer is supported by more than thirty mentors who assist students with their studies. They also take groups on cultural outings to places like the theatre, museums and dinner. Corporate citizens also provide support. For example, Metavante Corporation opens its doors one day a week to a busload of NDMS seventh and eighth graders. Company employees pair up with students to assist them with homework.

The success of the Notre Dame Middle School Graduate Support Program is evident. Eighty-eight percent of former NDMS students graduate from NDMS in four years and an additional eight percent are earning their diploma in slightly more than four years or through a GED. Seventy-five percent of NDMS graduates attend, or have already graduated, from college. These are very positive results.

Ninety percent of the girls attending Notre Dame Middle School are choice students. Rocio, a recent graduate, went to complete high school at Pius XI High School. She is currently a sophomore at Marquette University. “As a whole, the choice program for my family was life-changing,” she says. “If I hadn’t gone to a private school, I would not be in college. I would be working or maybe even on the streets. I would be a bad example for my little sister.”

Rocio’s oldest sister, also a NDMS alum, currently attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her younger sister attends Notre Dame Middle School and is in sixth grade.

Quantifiable Accountability

October 10, 2008
R & B Academy became the fourteenth school to be removed from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) because of accountability legislation passed in 2003 with the support of the school choice coalition.

An additional three schools have been removed for failing to meet instructional and accreditation requirements.

A full review of the strict MPCP accountability standards and their quantifiable results can read in the new report, "School Choice Accountability: Creating Quality Schools."

Response to ?After Milwaukee?

October 8, 2008
By Susan Mitchell, School Choice Wisconsin

In “After Milwaukee” (The American, October 2008), Rick Hess slays a straw man.

He first argues that Milwaukee’s experience with school choice shows that “aggressive reforms to bring market principles to American education have failed to live up to their billing.” He then provides an excellent description of why Milwaukee reforms fall far short of a genuine marketplace.

His second point undercuts his first. Neither school choice programs in Milwaukee nor elsewhere in the country come close to the market principles that he outlines. Consequently, the real impact of a bona fide educational marketplace in America remains untested.

Milwaukee deserves a closer look before education reformers declare defeat and move on. Even limited parental freedom has produced results. These results are not widely known and frequently are overshadowed by an echo chamber that repeats inaccurate information.

While the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) gives low-income parents educational freedom that they never had before, it does not represent aggressive market reform. Private schools that participate receive about one-half the taxpayer support provided to the city’s public schools — $6,700 per pupil compared to more than $13,000 per pupil for 2008-2009. An enrollment cap excludes a majority of Milwaukee students from participation and creates great uncertainty for schools as they attempt to plan for the future and consider expansion. A separate cap on family income further limits the number of students eligible for the program. Private philanthropy is the primary source of capital for new schools, expansions, and other remodeling.

Even with these limits, parental freedom produces results. In independent studies, three scholars have concluded that school choice has a positive impact on public schools. Another scholar has shown that MPS has experienced a clear gain in graduation rates. And a rigorous longitudinal study underway at the University of Arkansas will examine the very question that Hess says is settled.

Notably, Hess fails to mention any of this high quality research in his analysis.

Other important research receives decidedly short shrift. For example Hess observes, “While research suggests that some participating students benefit from private school vouchers, these results may largely reflect the ability of students in places like New York City or Washington, D.C. to find empty seats in established parochial schools.” This dismisses in one sentence a large body of high quality, “gold standard” research that includes several cities other than New York and the District of Columbia. In analyzing this research, a Brookings Institution commission concluded the it “favors a positive conclusion about the effects of choice on student achievement.”

By omission, Hess appears to discount potentially important evidence from international research. For example, Martin West and Ludger Woessmann earlier this year addressed whether there is a causal relationship between private competition and student achievement. They reported, “Our results show that larger shares of privately operated schools lead to better student achievement in mathematics, science, and reading and to lower total education spending…”

Hess makes a number of claims that don’t stand up to fact checks. For example:

• He quotes a magazine article as a basis for his claim that “since the implementation of the voucher program, reading scores across all Milwaukee schools are falling." In fact, MPS students scoring proficient or advanced on Wisconsin’s Third Grade Reading Comprehension Test grew to 71 percent from 50 percent between 1998 and 2005. More broadly, in ten of 15 categories, MPS students experienced test score gains between 2003 and 2006 in reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies.

• Hess incorrectly states that a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report on troubled MPCP schools included a school “launched by a convicted rapist” and one “whose director over-reported its voucher enrollment and used the funds to purchase two Mercedes.” In fact, neither school was cited because both already had been removed from the program as a direct result of legislative and administrative efforts strongly backed by school choice supporters. Of the seven schools actually cited as “questionable” by the newspaper, three have been removed. Another nine schools declined a request for an on-site visit. Three of those have been removed.

• As evidence of MPCP shortcomings, Hess says that, “Wisconsin headline writers have had a field day, with Milwaukee Magazine and The Capital Times (Madison) featuring the likes of ‘The failure of school choice’ and ‘Whoops, we goofed: school choice doesn’t work like its supporters promised. Gulp. Now what?’” In fact, those stories actually were based on a widely discredited research report that had nothing to do with the MPCP. This is a perfect example of how the echo chamber spreads bad information.

• Hess also observes, “Milwaukee…reminds us that high-performing schools are (like so many nonprofits) ill-equipped to expand in response to demand.” Yet he fails to note that despite the substantial financial disadvantage that MPCP schools face, they have raised $126.6 million to remodel, expand, and build new schools in the MPCP. The result has been a total of 114 projects, financed almost entirely with private funds. In addition, more than thirty per cent of the 122 schools currently in the MPCP have started operations since the program began.

• Hess states that MPS “enrollment has remained stable; it was 92,000 in 1990 and 91,000 last year.” His use of data points is misleading. The following table shows: MPS enrollment when the very small original MPCP was enacted; MPS enrollment the year before the program was expanded substantially to include religious schools; and MPS enrollment last year. The decline since the expansion is significant.

Year - MPS Enrollment
1990-1991 - 92,061
1997-1998 - 101,963
2007-2008 - 87,360

• Hess asserts that the MPCP “enrolls nearly 20,000 students in more than 100 schools, yet this growing marketplace has yielded little innovation or excellence.” Despite their financial disadvantages, MPCP schools are trying merit pay, longer school weeks, online courses and other changes. One important measure of results is the study on graduation rates cited earlier that shows that MPCP students graduate at a rate twenty per cent higher than do MPS students.
In Milwaukee, we see: higher graduation rates for those who choose; public school improvement; private investment to build schools in economically distressed neighborhoods; and educational freedom for many parents. Some education reformers will conclude that that is not enough. Others of us argue that a stronger program — one that actually resembles an “aggressive reform” — may well lead to even better results.
Recent developments in Milwaukee may increase the opportunity for removing some of the barriers that remain. There is a growing and much broader recognition that the traditional public school structure is broken and requires fundamental change. Indeed, MPS must change or be replaced by another system to deliver public education.
This almost certainly would not have occurred without the MPCP and other educational options. These programs have helped to change the debate in a fundamental way. Judging them a failure is premature.

Sources

Hoxby, Caroline M. “School Choice and School Competition: Evidence from the United States,” Swedish Economic Policy Review, Number 10, 2003.

Greene, Jay and Greg Forster. “Rising to the Challenge: The Effect of School Choice on Public Schools in Milwaukee and San Antonio,” The Manhattan Institute, October 2002.

Chakrabarti, Rajashri. “Can Increasing Private School Participation and Monetary Loss in a Voucher Program Affect Public School Performance? Evidence from Milwaukee,” Journal of Public Economics, Forthcoming (Available at http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/economists/chakrabarti/index.html).

Warren, John Robert Ph.D., “Graduation Rates for Choice and Public School Students in Milwaukee: 2003-2007,” School Choice Wisconsin, May 2008.

Reports of the School Choice Demonstration Project are at www.uark.edu/ua/der/SCDP/Research.html.

Greene, Jay. “The Effect of School Choice: An Evaluation of the Charlotte Children’s Scholarship Fund Program,” Education Matters,. 2001.

Cowen, Joshua, “School Choice as a Latent Variable: Estimating the “Compiler Average Causal Effect” of Vouchers in Charlotte,” The Policies Studies Journal, 2008.

Howell, William, Patrick Wolf, David Campbell, and Paul Peterson, “School Vouchers and Academic Performance: Results from Three Randomized Field Trials,” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 2002.

Wolf, Patrick, “Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Impacts After One Year,” U.S. Department of Education, 2008.

Greene, Jay, Paul Peterson, and Jiangtao Du, “Effectiveness of School Choice: The Milwaukee Experiment,” Education and Urban Society, 1999.

Rouse, Cecilia, “Private School Vouchers and Student Achievement: An Evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1998.

Barnard, John, Constantine E. Frangakis, Jennifer L. Hill, and Donald B. Rubin, “Principal Stratification Approach to Broken Randomized Experiments: A Case Study of School Choice Vouchers in New York City,” Journal of the American Statistical Association, 2003.

Hill, P. T., “School choice: Doing it the right way makes a difference,” A report from the national working commission on choice in K-12 education, The Brookings Institution, 2003.

West, Martin and Woessmann, Ludger. “’Every Catholic Child in a Catholic School’: Historical Resistance to State Schooling, Contemporary Private Competition, and Student Achievement across Countries,” June 2008, Harvard University Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) Working Papers Series.

“Milwaukee’s Public Schools In an Era of Choice,” School Choice Wisconsin, February 2007, available at www.SchoolChoiceWi.org.

West, Martin. “No Choice in Milwaukee!??: Remarkable Finding by an Un-credible Study,” Education Next. Spring 2008.

“School Choice and Community Renewal,” School Choice Wisconsin, July 2007.

Kisida, Brian, Laura Jensen, James C. Rahn, and Patrick J. Wolf, “The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program Baseline Report on Participating Schools,” The School Choice Demonstration Project, February 2008.

Messmer Graduate Featured in Catholic Herald

October 10, 2008
Check out the remarkable story of a legally blind Messmer High School graduate attending Marquette University.

the ad is probably not factual

October 14, 2008
The Lakeland Times debunks the claim that school choice takes money away from school districts outside of Milwaukee. According to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 350 Wisconsin school districts would lose $86 million if the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program were eliminated. The Lakeland Times joins numerous Wisconsin newspapers that first addressed this issue back in 2002.

The Fiscal Impact of Ending School Choice

October 15, 2008
Check out a new report detailing the negative impact of ending the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program on districts outside Milwaukee.

a net gain for other school districts around the state

October 15, 2008
Rhinelander NBC affiliate WJFW is the latest media voice to debunk the claim that the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program drains money from Wisconsin public school districts. WJFW quotes Jack Norman, Research Director for the Institute for Wisconsin's Future:

"The effect of the program is actually a net gain for other school districts around the state..."

Reversal of the ?Funding Flaw?

October 23, 2008
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Susan Mitchell, President
School Choice Wisconsin
414-319-9160

The recommended 2008-09 budget for the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) would eliminate the “funding flaw” that required Milwaukee property taxpayers to pay more for a student in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) than a student in MPS.

Mayor Tom Barrett and others identified this problem. In a June 1, 2007 statement, Mayor Barrett explained, “For each child in MPS, the city taxpayer provides $1,954; for each child in a choice school, city taxpayers pay up to $2,925 - or $971 more for a child in a choice school than an MPS school.” Confirming the Mayor’s data, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report later that month said “that nearly $1,000 more comes out of property taxes for Milwaukeeans for each voucher student than for each MPS student…”

The recommended MPS budget to be considered tonight by the MPS Board of Directors would reverse that situation. The budget would result in a higher per pupil levy for MPS students than for students in the choice program. The following table shows that the recommended levy/pupil for MPS students would be $2,659, or $182 more than the anticipated levy/pupil for students in the choice program for 2008-09.

MPCP - MPS
Enrollment: 19,850 - 89,736
Milwaukee Property Tax Levy: $49.1 million -$238.6 million
Property Tax/Pupil: $2,476 - $2,659

Two factors explain the change from 2007. First, the 2007-09 state budget increased the state’s share of the cost of the MPCP. In 2008-09 the state’s share will be about 63%, compared to the previous 55%. The effect is to lower the amount needed from Milwaukee property taxes. Second, the MPS budget to be considered tonight includes a higher local tax levy for MPS pupils than existed in 2006-07.

###

Learning to Lead through Adversity

October 20, 2008
St. Joan Antida High School (SJA) is the only truly diverse all-girls urban high school in our city and state. The school’s mantra is to prepare every one of its students to “Learn, Lead and Serve.” But how do you teach young women about leadership when many have not been exposed to female leaders in their own lives?

“The Leadership Luncheon was developed in response to this need,” according to Teddi Kennedy, Director of College Advancement. “Speakers for the luncheon run the gamut from lawyers, bankers, and highly placed corporate executives to college presidents, not-for-profit CEOs and community volunteers.”

The location of the luncheon is often times as educational as the speaker. “We have met at large corporations and at not-for-profit locations like the Blood Center. For these girls, it is the first time they have been inside a corporate environment or a laboratory,” Kennedy said.

Regardless of the speaker’s background or the environment, the messages are always the same. “Stay in school. Get educated. Set your goals and meet them. There will be road-blocks, but you need to overcome them.”

Although these messages may seem obvious to girls from middle class homes, to the diverse population of SJA, they are most often new. Of St. Joan’s students, 40 percent are Hispanic, 32 percent are African American students, and 13 percent are multiracial, Middle Eastern and Asian girls.

“Our girls face a huge number of challenges,” says Kennedy. “And this program has shown to them that they can overcome these.”

Remarks by the students themselves demonstrate the impact.

“Life is about constantly learning and one should always engage oneself in new opportunities to learn,” Laura said after hearing a presentation by a physician.

Two other students, Jakya and Kayla learned from reporter Vivian King, that “if you want something you should go get it” and “it doesn’t matter how much money you make, your passion about what you’re doing is what matters.”

This program, along with the educational environment created by St. Joan’s, has an impact on its students; more than 90 percent of the 2007 graduates enrolled in post secondary education.

The school has enabled its students to believe, as student Crystal expressed, “No matter what people say, you can make your dreams come true.”

A mission the state can't do

December 1, 2008
By Patrick McIlheran, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kim Taylor, you can see, is proud of her school's new classrooms. She shows off the new art room, the spacious classrooms, the brightness, the order, the brainpower.

"I want these kids to have the same kind of education as my kids have," she says. They're getting it. From the project-based lessons to an engaged set of parents - 200 turned out for parents' night - to the sheer sense of order, Concordia University School feels like education for the well-off.

About 97% of the students are from poor families.

They attend the school on the northwest side thanks to Milwaukee's school choice program. Enrollment was at 158 this fall, up from 66 two years ago. Four new students started on the day I visited.

But not only do school vouchers let parents opt for this. They let Taylor, who is a former education professor, her old university and a bunch of concerned laymen come together to offer schooling that cannot be offered in a government-run system.

Ardor for the idea of choice is flagging in some places. Influential writer Sol Stern made a stir last winter by calling vouchers a flop for not having forced Milwaukee Public Schools to improve. Columnist Jonah Goldberg recently wrote that backing choice means Republicans are "simply out of the debate." Better, say these maybe-former fans, to simply try improving the old incumbent systems.

Which have proved remarkably resistant to change. Taylor taught in MPS, in one of the good schools, as she puts it. Too many aren't, she says, because teachers aren't in control of classrooms. Restore that and "you can do the higher-level thinking."

How? Taylor has ideas, mainly involving culture and expectations. Often, children come to her school combative and behind grade level. The school quickly changes that. "There's no fighting here," she said.

What there is, is Concordia University Wisconsin, the Lutheran institution in Mequon that's adding an urban focus to its teacher training. Its art education students now work with the elementary school's teachers. It's working on the elementary school's phy-ed offerings. Taylor aims to be like a good public school at implementing new ideas, she says, while adding an element only a private school can, "the word of God."

"We consider it a laboratory school," said Tim Young Eagle, who heads the group that sponsors the place, but it's more: It's a ministry. The group, the Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative, was begun by church laymen who grew up in what are now poor Milwaukee neighborhoods. They were dismayed as church schools closed. When a school on Granville Road shut down, the group scraped together talent and money to reopen it as something better.

The initiative gets no funds from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to do so, nor from the university. It borrowed to finance the expansion that opened this year. That should, reckons Young Eagle, accommodate enough students that the $6,607 in state aid that follows each child can fund it all. He donates his time.

Most of the children belong to some other church, if any, and "we're not trying to make them Lutheran," said Young Eagle. But "we do want them to see Christ in all they do."

"That's an essential and important part of what we do."

Because of the school's Christian mission, said Taylor, "our staff is cohesive, we can get on to teaching."

It's possible to run a good school without religious motivations. People do it all the time. Since Christianity underlay schooling through most of Western civilization, however, one wonders why we think it normal that most schools don't dare mention God.

Still, faith motivates this particular school. Religion led people to organize it and devote their abilities to it. This could happen only via school choice.

Only when parents, not the government, decide where dollars will go could there be schools with a religious mission. And only by letting parents use the money taxpayers are already putting toward education can anyone afford to serve so many poor children.

For all their good wishes, the Lutheran laymen and Taylor's staff probably would be stopped by having to raise the $1 million in school aid that vouchers represent. School choice enables their work, it benefits their students and, since those children don't attend MPS, it saves taxpayers about $6,000 per child.

No, vouchers are not a cure-all. Nothing is. They do, however, permit good work and new ideas to be tried.

The preceding column appeared in the December 1, 2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Do the math

December 8, 2008
Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel included an article on the funding of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). As the sidebar to the story shows, each student in the MPCP now costs Milwaukee taxpayers $123 less than a student in MPS.

The local cost savings of MPCP pupils is a reversal of the "funding flaw" as defined by Mayor Barrett and others in January 2006.

Reform education system: Obama should challenge status quo

December 9, 2008
By Dr. Howard Fuller

When President Richard Nixon went to China in 1972, conservatives were outraged. Popular columnist William F. Buckley summoned a gathering of high-ranking Republicans. Because of Nixon’s overtures to China, these Republicans elected to suspend support for the administration.

Nixon’s push to normalize relations with China — a major break with U.S. policy — was viewed by conservative opinion leaders as heresy. Despite anger from the right, the world watched in awe — and support. Thirty-six years later, Nixon’s decision is seen as a foreign policy masterstroke, hence the phrase, "Only Nixon could go to China.”

The same could be said for Barack Obama and education reform. Elected with a progressive wind at his back, our new president has a clear mandate for change. Voters of all ages, races and religions enthusiastically supported him in his historic campaign for the presidency.

So, now, perhaps only Obama can challenge the education status quo in America.

On the campaign trail, Obama embraced performance pay and charter schools, neither of which made him very popular with teachers’ unions. These views, however, demonstrated his willingness to embrace change in education.

And we must embrace change in education. Despite the fact that many public schools are performing admirably, 5 million children — most of whom are from poor families — are confined to failing or underperforming schools. There are 10,000 schools that make these lists. A while back, America was first in the world on education quality. Now, we’re No. 16. At a time when parts of our nation’s K-12 education system are fundamentally broken, and others are mired in mediocrity, all options should be on the table — including providing private school choice.

Many in our political system speak with great passion about "moving beyond labels.” Let’s apply that passion to the term "voucher.” Thanks to education reform opponents, the term "voucher” has been used derisively for decades as a way of shifting the debate away from what vouchers really do: provide options to parents in need, particularly low-income parents.

Whether they’re called vouchers or "tax credit scholarship programs,” these options provide hope to 175,000 children. These scholarship recipients are predominately low-income, minority children — children who were previously in schools that did not work for them.

Our nation has emphatically voted for change, and President-elect Obama has the capital to act decisively and use his bully pulpit on behalf of education reform. He can urge states to adopt performance pay plans, lift arbitrary and unnecessary caps on charter schools, and ensure that there is transparency in illustrating student and school progress. Most importantly, he can toss aside irrelevant old labels and arguments by embracing expanded school choice options.

Like all successful presidents before him, Obama will have to offend a few special interest groups and annoy some members of his own party, but the broad middle that elected him will be thankful. And he will be remembered for taking a principled stance that changed our country, for the better, forever.

Fuller is founder and chairman of the Black Alliance for Educational Options.

The above column originally appeared in the December 8, 2008 Daily Oklahoman.

DFER on Duncan

December 16, 2008
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), who have recently been getting a whole lot of press, put out a statement today on the selection of Chicago schools CEO Arne Duncan to head the U.S. Department of Education. An excerpt:

DFER believes Duncan represents the very best choice for the Secretary of Education with his long history of commitment to improving public education in the United States. As CEO of Chicago Public Schools since 2001, Ducan has demonstrated that he understands that improving educational opportunities for children is a critical investment in our nation’s future. Under Duncan’s leadership, Chicago has been at the forefront of school restructuring and improving teacher quality. During his seven year tenure Chicago Public Schools have demonstrated sustained improvements in student achievement, graduation rates and college-going rates.

Read the entire statement here.

Milwaukee education leaders cheer Duncan selection

December 16, 2008
In a joint press release, Milwaukee education reform leaders Senator Jeff Plale and Representative Jason Fields praise the selection of Arne Duncan as U.S. Secretary of Education. Plale and Fields identify themselves as "steadfast supporters of Milwaukee’s School Choice Program," and say of the Duncan pick:

“We commend President-Elect Obama and Secretary-Designee Duncan for their vision of change in providing hope to American families looking for choices in their educational opportunities.”

Removing barriers to learning

December 17, 2008
Imagine living through a difficult experience - a terrible car accident or serious injury to someone you love. Then imagine that you had to go to work immediately and perform.

Such demands are common to many Urban Day students, says Peter Johnson, principal of this elementary school with two sites in one of Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods.

“Children in the central city suffer from grief, trauma and loss on a daily basis. This affects their ability to learn. Our challenge is to find ways to provide them with coping skills that will enable them to focus in the classroom,” Johnson says.

To do so, Urban Day School initiated its innovative Advocacy Department. The goal of the department is to address student behavior that threatens a child’s capacity to learn.

“Prior to establishing this department, our social workers were swamped. We knew there had to be a way to provide a safety net for these children and their families,” said Jenny Jones, department director. “Our goals are to keep the child in the classroom, healthy and ready to learn. We want to assure continuity in the child’s education.”

The advocacy team identified 120 of 600 students with academic or behavioral issues. When the team met with the children, their parents and teachers, they found undiagnosed mental health problems, serious health conditions like lead poisoning, and a lack of social and emotional coping skills.

Jones described a second grader who had recently moved from Mississippi to Milwaukee to live with her father and her stepmother after her mother died. “The girl had not received any counseling after her mother’s death. We responded to her needs and it made all the difference in the world,” Jones says.

The team worked with another student, who had stolen some equipment from his classroom, to show him how his action had affected the school. The student was required to perform hours of service to repay the school. “He developed relationships with a number of staff and truly become a part of the school. His personality changed dramatically.” Jones said.

The team takes a pro-active stance on issues relating to physical and mental health. “We make our teachers aware of symptoms of depression and suicide,” says social worker Nick White. “We also have employed a nurse on site who assists with immunizations and general health, and works with the girls on such issues as self-esteem building and making good decisions.”

The team also provides workshops on social skills and conflict resolution. The benefit of these workshops is that peer-to-peer counseling is occurring and students are reinforcing the messages to each other.

What happens when serious conflicts, disputes or offenses do occur at Urban Day? “Every opportunity is used as a learning experience,” says Principal Johnson. “The school has adopted the restorative justice model and with the assistance of two law students from Marquette University, the school has been able to work through issues using the philosophy of restoring what was taken away from the injured party.

What have the results been so far?

“We have seen a significant reduction in suspensions and expulsions. This program is critical to our mission. At Urban Day School no child will be abandoned simply because of behavior,” says John Plantenberg, Urban Day President.

Who are my legislators?

December 29, 2008
State Representatives and Senators are the key to preserving Milwaukee's successful school choice programs. Click here to find out who represents your child's school.

To find out who represents your home, simply enter your address here.

New research on how parents choose

January 13, 2009
The School Choice Demonstration Project has released a new report, Family Reflections on the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program. The team studied several groups of parents over several years, and found among other things that when choosing schools, parents have "a strong preference for academic quality," and put high value on visiting schools. See the full report here.

The findings are similar to Paul Teske's conclusions on how low-income Milwaukee parents choose schools. According to Teske:

"[L]ow-income parents seem to value very much the same things in schools as do higher-income parents. Academic quality, by various measures, is the number one factor."

Ongoing research on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program being conducted by the School Choice Demonstration Project will provide more Milwaukee specific information in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Milwaukee legislator proposes harmful legislation

January 16, 2009
Milwaukee State Representative Chris Sinicki has proposed a long list of regulatory measures that would add huge administrative costs to private schools that participate in the MPCP. Among other things, her bill establishes new requirements for teacher licensing, testing, and engaging students in religious activity. Click here for a point-by-point analysis of the proposal.

Howard Fuller speaks to parent ambassadors

January 20, 2009
Check out the video below of Dr. Howard Fuller speaking to a group of parent ambassadors at St. Marcus Lutheran School. If you or someone you know would like to spread the word about school choice in Milwaukee, sign up to become a parent ambassador at the box to the right or contact School Choice Wisconsin Outreach Director Jazmeka Gladney.

Get Educated Now Newsletter

January 21, 2009
In addition to this website, stay informed on the latest Milwaukee school choice developments by signing up for our weekly newsletter. Contact School Choice Wisconsin to get your name on our mailing list. Also check out last week's updates by downloading the PDF below.

School choice leaders sound the alarm

January 22, 2009
Over one hundred school representatives made it to the Italian Community Center this week to hear former Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Howard Fuller, St. Marcus School Superintendent Henry Tyson, and School Choice Wisconsin's Brett Healy discuss the status of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). If you missed it, you can watch Dr. Fuller discuss the 20th anniversary of the MPCP below.

Yes, all schools in the MPCP are audited

January 26, 2009
Recently, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) cut off payments to a small school participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). A commenter responding to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article writes "All voucher schools should be audited NOW."

In fact, under state law every school participating in the MPCP must submit to DPI annually:

"An independent financial audit of the private school conducted by a certified public accountant, accompanied by the auditor’s statement that the report is free of material misstatements and fairly presents pupil costs."

This is just one of the many accountability measures that have removed 19 troubled schools from the program and kept 111 from ever opening. Find out more about how school choice is accountable by reading School Choice Accountability: Creating Quality Schools.

Did you miss the second Get Educated Now newsletter?

January 28, 2009
If so, be sure to download the PDF below. If you are not on the mailing list, sign up by sending an e-mail to School Choice Wisconsin.

Henry Tyson on Principal Mobilization Effort

February 3, 2009
St. Marcus School Superintendent Henry Tyson described his Principal Mobilization Effort two weeks ago at the Italian Community Center. If you missed it, be sure to watch the video below.

Reminder: PAC Meeting Tonight

February 3, 2009
There is a Pupil Assignment Council (PAC) meeting at 4:00 today at Blessed Savior School: North Campus, 5501 N. 68th Street, Milwaukee. Attendance at PAC meetings is mandatory for all private schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.

St. Anthony's featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

February 4, 2009
A column in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel focuses on the recent announcement that St. Anthony's School, the largest school participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, is opening a high school on Milwaukee's south side. The author, Patrick McIlheran, also discusses the decisions parents make:

"That parents choose them wins choice schools remarkably little credit. Critics often say parents may like choosing but are prone to picking schools for the wrong reasons. There's something patronizing about the argument, as if schools lured poor mothers with free beer. One never hears critics decry middle-class parents picking suburbs based on their schools (or when, like me, they pick Catholic schools on their own dime). Indeed, MPS offers magnet schools on the assumption urban parents rationally can choose them."

Read the whole column here.

Advocates for Student Achievement release poll results

February 9, 2009
Advocates for Student Achievement, a Milwaukee organization dedicated to raising “academic achievement for every student in Milwaukee” by electing talented individuals to the Milwaukee Public School Board, this week released the results of a poll on how Milwaukee residents view education in their city. Among the findings, the majority of Milwaukee residents support reforms like the MPCP and Charter schools.

The full poll results are available here.

Eliminating Milwaukee Choice Programs Would Cost Wisconsin Millions: Wisconsin State Journal article at odds with fiscal realities of the MPCP

February 11, 2009
School Choice Wisconsin President Susan Mitchell today sent the following letter to the editor of the Wisconsin State Journal:

Your January 31 article (“Fixing a $5.7 billion budget shortfall”) claims that eliminating the Milwaukee voucher program and charter programs in Racine and Milwaukee would save the state $412 million.

In fact, eliminating the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) would cost nearly $86 million, according to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB). This is because most of the low-income students in the MPCP would attend MPS schools that cost taxpayers $13,662 per-pupil compared to $6,607 in the MPCP.

Similarly, ending the independent charter program in Milwaukee and Racine would raise increase costs because per-pupil funding for these schools is $7,775, substantial lower than MPS.

The School Choice Demonstration Project research team now conducting the legislatively mandated study of the MPCP found that the program has saved Wisconsin taxpayers $180 million dollars since 1994.

Ending these programs not only would cost the state, but also deprive families of more than 20,000 students of their educational choice.

Japanese delegation visits Milwaukee

February 11, 2009
Members of the Council for the Promotion of Regulatory Reform located in the Japanese Cabinet Office visited two private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program yesterday. The group, tasked with learning more about school choice in the United States, sought best practices from St. Marcus Lutheran School and St. Anthony's Catholic School. They plan to use what they learn in Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York to improve education practices in Japan.

In the picture to the left, students from St. Anthony's welcome Sakae Odawara, Chairman of the Board of Education in Hachioji City, Tokyo Japan.

State budget bill and the MPCP

February 18, 2009
The Governor’s budget bill includes numerous provisions that impact the Milwaukee Parental Choice
Program (MPCP). They include but are not limited to:

• Requirements that schools abide by state open meeting and open records laws. Schools would be subject to same enforcement of these statutes as public agencies.

• Requirements that all MPCP schools administer state tests, including those required by No Child Left Behind and the state’s third grade reading test.

• Provisions that school must make available to all applicants and to anyone who makes a request a wide range of information, including access to school records and detailed information about test scores and rates of promotion.

• A requirement that all private schools new to the MPCP gain accreditation prior to participation in the MPCP. Schools already in the program must attain accreditation by August 1, 2010.

• A requirement that all teachers and administrators must possess at least a Bachelor's degree. from an accredited institution. The bill does not require licensing by the Department of Public Instruction.

The following narrative is taken from the description of these provisions provided by the Legislative Reference Bureau. We continue to work on a more detailed analysis of these provisions. The actual language of the budget bill is available at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/AB-75.pdf.

Legislative Reference Bureau Language on State Budget Bill

This bill makes changes to the laws governing the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), under which a pupil who resides in the city of Milwaukee may attend a private school at state expense under certain conditions.

Under current law, a private school participating in the MPCP must achieve accreditation by an accrediting organization or association by December 31 of the third school year following the first school year in which it participates in the MPCP. This bill requires the private school to attain accreditation by August 1 of the school year in which the school first participates in the MPCP.

Currently, teachers at private schools participating in the MPCP are required to have graduated from high school or to have been granted a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation. Beginning in the 2010-11 school year, this bill directs each private school participating in the MPCP to ensure that every teacher and administrator at the private school has at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

Under current law, a school board must schedule at least 1,050 hours of direct pupil instruction in grades one to six and at least 1,137 hours of direct pupil instruction in grades seven to twelve. This bill requires private schools participating in the MPCP to comply with these requirements.

Under current law, enrollment in the MPCP is capped at 22,500 pupils. If the enrollment cap is reached, DPI must issue an order prohibiting the enrollment of additional pupils until the number of pupils falls below 22,500. This bill provides that, if the number of pupils enrolled in the program falls below 22,500, participating private schools may admit additional pupils under the program but must give first priority to returning MPCP pupils, second priority to siblings of enrolled MPCP pupils, and third priority to pupils selected at random under a procedure established by DPI by rule.

Current law requires each private school participating in the MPCP to administer a nationally normed standardized test in reading, mathematics, and science to pupils attending the school under the program in the fourth, eighth, and tenth grades. This bill requires each private school participating in the MPCP to administer the examinations adopted or approved by DPI.

Current law requires each school board to adopt either its own academic standards or the academic standards contained in the governor’s executive order issued on January 13, 1998. Identical provisions exist under current law for independent charter schools. This bill requires the governing body of each private school participating in the MPCP to adopt academic standards.

Under current law, each school board and the operator of each independent charter school must administer a standardized reading test developed by DPI to all pupils enrolled in the third grade. This bill requires private schools participating in the MPCP to administer this test.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires public school assessments in reading and mathematics in each of grades three to eight and at least once in grades ten to twelve; and in science at least once in grades three to five, six to nine, and ten to twelve. This bill imposes these requirements on private schools participating in the MPCP for pupils attending the schools under the MPCP.

Under current law, each school board and the operator of each independent charter school must develop written policies specifying criteria for granting a high school diploma. Neither a school board nor the operator of an independent charter school may grant a high school diploma to any pupil unless the pupil has satisfied the criteria. Similarly, each school board and each independent charter school must adopt policies specifying criteria for promoting a pupil from the fourth grade to the fifth grade and from the eighth grade to the ninth grade. A pupil may not be promoted unless he or she satisfies the promotion criteria. This bill imposes upon private schools participating in the MPCP the same prohibitions against graduation and promotion for pupils attending the private school under the MPCP that are imposed upon school boards and independent charter schools.

The bill requires a private school participating in the MPCP to maintain progress records for each pupil attending the school under the MPCP while the pupil attends the school and for at least five years thereafter. The bill requires the private school to provide a copy of the records to the pupil or the pupil’s parent or guardian upon request and, if the school closes, to transfer the records to the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The bill also requires the private school to issue a high school diploma or certificate to each pupil attending the school under the MPCP who satisfies all of the requirements necessary for high school graduation.

Current law requires a school district to transfer to another school or school district, within five working days, all pupil records relating to a specific pupil if the transferring school district has received notice from the pupil (if he or she is adult), from the pupil’s parent or guardian (if the pupil is a minor), or from the other school or school district that the pupil intends to enroll or has enrolled in the other school or school district. This bill makes this requirement applicable to the private schools participating in the MPCP.

The bill also requires each MPCP school to provide each applicant to the school with all of the following: 1) a list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the members of the governing body of the school; 2) a notice stating whether the school is an organization run for profit or not for profit, and, if the school is nonprofit, proof of its federal tax-exempt status; 3) a copy of the appeals process used if the school rejects an applicant for admission; 4) a statement that the school agrees to be subject to the open meetings and open records requirements applicable to public bodies; 5) graduation requirements; 6) a copy of the non-harassment policy and procedures used by the school; 7) suspension and expulsion policies and procedures; and 8) policies for accepting or denying the transfer of credits for coursework completed by pupils at other schools. In addition, upon request of any person, the school must provide to that person the information above, as well as the number of pupils enrolled in the private school in the previous school year; the number of pupils enrolled in the private school under the MPCP in the previous school year; pupil scores on standardized tests administered in the previous school year; a copy of the academic standards adopted by the private school; the number of pupils who have graduated from the private school in every year in which the private school has participated in the MPCP; and the rates of promotion of 4th and 8th grade pupils enrolled in the private school.

This bill requires each private school that applies to participate in the MPCP to pay to DPI a nonrefundable fee each year in an amount determined by DPI. DPI must use the fees to evaluate the financial audits and evidence of sound fiscal practices submitted to DPI by participating private schools.

Under the current school aid formula, the state establishes a guaranteed tax base, known as the guaranteed valuation. The rate at which a school district’s costs are aided through the formula is determined by comparing the school district’s per pupil tax base (or equalized valuation) to the guaranteed valuation. State aid is provided to make up the difference between the school district’s actual tax base and that state guaranteed level. A school district’s guaranteed valuation is determined by multiplying the guaranteed valuation per pupil (set by statute) by the district’s enrollment.

This bill provides that for MPS, the guaranteed valuation is determined by multiplying the valuation per member by the district’s enrollment plus 50 percent of the number of pupils attending a private school under the MPCP. The 50 percent figure is phased in over a five-year period.

This bill directs the Legislative Reference Bureau, at the direction of the secretary of administration, to prepare a bill for introduction during the 2009 legislative session that addresses the findings of a review of the finances and operations of the MPS conducted at the request of the governor and the mayor of Milwaukee.

Seeking to create unity

February 23, 2009
Eight years ago Wisconsin Lutheran High School (WLHS) decided to participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). Today, with a diverse group of students, the school more closely mirrors society . Students of all backgrounds work together on academic projects and extracurricular programs.

“We want to prepare our students for the real world…socially as well as academically,” said Reverend James Kleist, WLHS Superintendent. “Understanding others who were raised in cultural or socio-economic environments different from your own is critical to success in life.”

How does a school get such diverse students to work together?
“By design”, says Miriam Festerling, a WLHS counselor and an alumna. “When we joined the MPCP, we suddenly had students who did not come from our usual feeder schools with whom we worked very closely to make sure the curriculum was seamless. We had to think differently about our student body to be fair to all students.”

WLHS developed two innovative programs.

First is the Agents of Change. The 76 agents are students whose responsibility is to make all students feel part of WLHS. Through leadership seminars and other training, the group learns to resolve conflicts and encourage cohesiveness among students.

For example, students take a conflict resolution survey designed to reveal how he or she typically behaves in a conflict situation. The students then learn about different ways to resolve conflicts and their effectiveness or drawbacks. ”This is a life-changing experience for some students,” Festerling said.

Students bring issues to the group for advice; they find it easier than consulting with adults. “All advice is based on values and virtues. It is a maturational process for students to resolve situations common to the teen experience,” says Festerling.

The second program addresses academic preparation. Two years ago, WLHS began a Resource Center for the lowest performing students and then added students who were borderline. The center teaches strategies to help students reach their full potential through academic support and study skills enhancement.

“Relationships are key”, say Center Director Victor Garza and his colleague Andrew Schwall. “We work with students on a one-on-one basis on issues such as self-esteem, outlook on race, position in the school and in the world. Typically we find underlying reasons for the academic issues. Poor academic performance is just a symptom,” says Garza.

For example, Garza says, one student with a 1.8 GPA was late for school everyday. “We learned that his mother woke up late everyday. The student’s solution was to get up earlier and wake his mother so that she could get him to school on time. This change plus the fact that the student aspired to do well made all the difference. This young man is now a model student with a first quarter grade point average of over 3.1,” Garza says.

The center staff is seeing the fruits of their labor. During the first year of the program, 26% of the students increased their GPA. In the second year, 58% showed an increase.

The MPCP has moved Wisconsin Lutheran in new directions. “The programs we developed to unify our student body as a result of the infusion of these new students have had a positive impact on the entire student body,” Kleist says.

D.C. Students ask President Obama to Save the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program

February 25, 2009

For background, please see today's Washington Post editorial.

Teach for America coming to Milwaukee

February 27, 2009
The Kern Foundation participated in the announcement of a major grant that it provided to bring Teach for America to Milwaukee. The program seeks to spur innovation by bringing high-achieving college graduates to teach in urban schools. According to Kern Foundation Program Director Ryan Olson, “Developing people of character and competence will require innovative new schools, schools that entrepreneurially minded Teach for America alumni can launch in Milwaukee’s unique charter school and parental choice program sectors.”

Read more in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Hope Schools featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

March 3, 2009
Hope Christian Schools, an organization that operates three private schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program is breaking ground on a new $3.27 million building. When finished it will house a K-8 school. Click here to read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.

Also be sure to read about other school choice construction projects in School Choice and Community Renewal.

Attempt to Save D.C. Choice Program Fails

March 11, 2009
In today's Washington Times:

"An effort to preserve D.C.'s school voucher program - which pays parents to send their children to private schools - died Tuesday evening when the Senate rejected a Republican amendment to the $410 billion omnibus spending bill."

Unless the Senate is able to pass a stand alone bill extending the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, 1,700 students will lose the ability to attend the private schools of their choice.

Year 2 Longitudinal Study Results Positive

March 26, 2009
The second year of reports from the legislatively mandated longitudinal study of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program has yielded positive information on the impact of school choice in Milwaukee. In addition to reinforcing previous findings regarding taxpayer savings; the study has found that access to choices has a positive impact on academic achievement in the city. The reports can be read here.

Stay tuned for updates.

School Choice: A Net Plus for Milwaukee, Wisconsin

March 26, 2009
The nation’s most comprehensive independent study of school choice today released new findings that confirm the value of school choice for the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin.

“We should use this research to further strengthen the benefits of school choice to Milwaukee and Wisconsin,” said Susan Mitchell, president of School Choice Wisconsin.

The legislatively mandated longitudinal study of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) has completed the second of five years of research. In reports issued today (available at http://www.uark.edu/ua/der/SCDP/Milwaukee_Research.html), researchers identify substantial cost savings and important areas of academic improvement attributable to school choice.

Academic Attainment — MPCP students. The study team reported that “Average achievement growth [for] MPCP [students] tended to the be somewhat higher than average achievement growth in the MPS panel, especially in math, but those differences failed to reach the normal 95 percent certainty level for statistically significances.” MPCP students experienced statistically significant gains in 7th and 8th grade math in comparison to similar MPS students. There were no grade levels in math or reading where MPCP growth scores trailed MPS scores at statistically significant levels.

Public School Improvement. Researchers also found that the MPCP has had a positive, statistically significant impact on MPS performance. Using multiple models, the study team consistently found that MPS students experience academic gains when given more school options, leading to the conclusion that “students fare better academically when they have more options from Milwaukee’s voucher program.”

Fiscal Impact. Researchers reported that the MPCP will save Wisconsin taxpayers money: $37.2 million in 2008-09. Savings are unevenly distributed between Milwaukee taxpayers and taxpayers in the rest of the state.

“Public support for MPS students is twice the level provided for students in the MPCP, yet school choice students perform as well or better than comparable MPS students. We also have new evidence that MPS students benefit from expanded options in Milwaukee,” said Mitchell.

The research released today came from the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP), an educational research project based within the University of Arkansas' Department of Education Reform. The SCDP includes a national team of researchers committed to raising and advancing the public's understanding of the strengths and limitations of school choice policies and programs.

Notre Dame Middle School Featured in MJS

April 6, 2009
Notre Dame Middle School, an all-girls school participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program is profiled in an April 2nd Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column by Patrick McIlheran. McIlheran focuses on the school's unique and highly successful system of keeping graduates involved with the school. Read the full column online here.

Choice Provisions on List of LFB Policy Items

April 7, 2009
A memo from Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) Director Bob Lang to State Representative Robin Vos listed the proposed changes to the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) among policy items included in the Governor's proposed budget.

Click here to download the memo.

Academic Gains in D.C.

April 6, 2009
The year three results of the longitudinal study of the Washington D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program show that "[t]hose offered a scholarship were performing at statistically higher levels in reading." The gains are "equivalent to 3.1 months of additional learning."

The Washington Post reacted to the study by editorializing that the gains in reading mean the program "at the very least, demands further study." It has yet to be re-authorized by congress and faces elimination.

The study is being conducted by the School Choice Demonstration Project, the same group conducting the longitudinal evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.

Greene: Vouchers Not Dead Yet

April 9, 2009
Dr. Jay Greene, co-investigator of the School Choice Demonstration Project has penned a column on the release of new academic findings on the Washington D.C. voucher program. The reports generated an accurately positive headline in the Washington Post: Study Supports School Vouchers. Greene contrasts the reaction to the D.C findings with the misplaced negativity present in the media coverage surrounding the recent release of the year two reports of the longitudinal study of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). Greene states: "Frankly, the results in Milwaukee should be seen as even more encouraging than the results in D.C."

Indeed. The School Choice Demonstration Project found MPCP pupils outperforming comparable MPS pupils in 7th and 8th grade math at statistically significant levels. More importantly, the Milwaukee Public Schools have experienced achievement gains attributable to the MPCP. In other words, school choice has raised academic achievement across the board in Milwaukee.

Chavous and Fuller Ask Duncan to Save D.C. Vouchers

April 28, 2009
Chair of the Board of Democrats for Education Reform Kevin Chavous and Chair of the Board of the Black Alliance for Educational Options Dr. Howard Fuller have written a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan pleading with him to save the Washington D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Chavous and Fuller conclude the letter with the following statement:

"We want you to stand with us for the right thing - Giving low-income and working class families the power to choose the best educational option for their children."

Milwaukee College Prep Honored for Character Education

May 19, 2009
Milwaukee College Prep, an independent charter school enrolling over 400 students on Milwaukee's north side has been deemed a National School of Character by the Character Education Partnership. Only ten schools across the country received this honor.

Read all about it on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website.

Messmer Student Wins Essay Contest

June 2, 2009
Congratulations to Danielle Brooks, a Messmer High School Senior who won a $500 scholarship for her essay on keeping Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream alive. Brooks, one of two Milwaukee students to receive the scholarship from Milwaukee Alderwoman Milele Coggs, will be attending Spelman College next year.

Messmer High School, located on Milwaukee's north side, is a long-time participant in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.

Creating HOPE

June 4, 2009
Igniting self-discovery and self-confidence at an early age can start a child on the road to a successful life. In the front hallway of the HOPE Christian School on 25th and North Avenue, the “Wall of Fame” is proudly displayed. Under each “Student of the Month” picture is the year the student will start college. “We encourage our students to start to think about college as being a logical, attainable goal for themselves right from the beginning,” said Principal Jamie Luehring.

The HOPE network of schools includes two grade schools and a high school with a total enrollment of more than 500. The schools are located in the heart of Milwaukee in an area where a college degree is a rarity. In fact, 44% of the people in this community haven’t earned a high school diploma and 38% live in poverty.

Last year, however, HOPE graduated 27 seniors in its first high school class --with almost all accepted to a post-secondary school.

“We intentionally set up our schools in Milwaukee’s toughest neighborhoods – the neighborhoods with the highest crime rates, the lowest education rates and the lowest incomes,” explains HOPE Schools’ president Dr. Andrew Neumann. “We believe that every child has the capacity to learn. Our driving philosophy is to accept no excuses and take no shortcuts as we equip students academically and spiritually for college and for lives as serving leaders.”

As you walk through the school, you find engaged children in every classroom. Principal Luehring cites the various skill-building techniques used at the school… everything from Renaissance Learning practice and progress-monitoring tools for academic skills to the “HYSTEP” (pronounced high step) program for social skills that reminds students to say hello and yes, to smile, and to say thank you, excuse me and please.

But the basis for the school’s success lies in its team of highly driven individuals dedicated to HOPE’s mission. Dr. Neumann credits HOPE’s team with making the tangible difference in the lives of students. The faculty invests much of themselves in their work at the school. They take turns coming in to tutor and mentor students two Saturdays each month. They hand out their personal phone numbers at the beginning of the year, expecting to receive regular phone calls at home from students stumped on a homework problem.

In return for this dedication, HOPE has made a commitment to give these teachers, administrators and staff the skills they need to be successful. The school established the HOPE Institute. The Institute is designed to provide HOPE educators with the necessary training, professional development resources, and ongoing mentoring that they need to serve students and their families.

Through the Institute, teachers may take advantage of grants to help pursue their master’s and doctorate degrees. Nearly 40 percent of HOPE’s faculty have earned or are working toward graduate degrees.

HOPE also takes teachers to visit other high-performing schools nationally. The annual trips enable the HOPE team to observe best practices, share ideas with their peers, and have time to relax and bond with each other.

On their trip to Chicago the teachers and administrators had a few days of team building and professional development. The group visited several schools, including Noble Street, Namaste and KIPP Ascend. After the tours, the group brainstormed ways to incorporate ideas that they liked into HOPE’s program.

Teachers also are encouraged to attend professional growth sessions to enhance their subject-matter expertise. HOPE teachers attended workshops on language arts in Houston, Texas, and on math in San Antonio, Texas, and San Jose, California.

The Institute also brings in outside experts to address educators in Milwaukee. HOPE hosted Harriett Ball, the successful urban teacher who has been featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” CBS’s “The Early Show” and in numerous newspaper articles. Ms. Ball’s one-day workshop provided participants with multi-sensory, mnemonic strategies to teach math and language arts.

The Hope Institute also partners with seasoned urban teachers inside and outside of HOPE to mentor teachers new to the urban setting.

Ashley Arndt-Eggers teaches first grade at HOPE. Last year, she participated in the HOPE Institute’s Future Teacher Training Program.

“I can’t imagine what it would have been like to try managing my classroom without the hands-on training that I received through the HOPE Institute,” said Arndt-Eggers. “I was able to watch what worked for my mentors and then practice applying their techniques to the way I teach. My mentors equipped me with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to succeed in the classroom.”

“We believe that a good school starts with strong leadership, great teachers, and a team aligned behind a common mission,” Dr. Neumann said. “Through our HOPE Institute, we have created a happy school environment and a culture that focuses on making teaching and learning exciting.”

Wall Street Journal: School Reforms on the Brink

June 4, 2009
The Wall Street Journal today editorializes on proposed Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) regulation recently passed through the state's Joint Committee on Finance.

The paper describes the passed provisions as designed "to reduce funding" and "to regulate the program to death."

Read the whole editorial here.

Attack on School Choice in Milwaukee Spurs Local and National Backlash

June 8, 2009
There has been a flurry of national and local press activity in recent days regarding the Wisconsin state budget and the future of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program:

- The Wall Street Journal editorialized against measures aimed "to reduce funding" and "to regulate the program to death."

- The National Review Online denounced measures that would "leave parents, once again, without a choice."

- Former Milwaukee mayor John Norquist and his wife Susan Mudd wrote in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that "School choice has strengthened Milwaukee."

- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Patrick McIlheran writes about the "harm punitive mandates will inflict."

- Milwaukee talk show host Charlie Sykes discussed the impact of a bilingual mandate on schools.

Eastbrook Academy in Sunday Journal Sentinel

November 2, 2009
Eastbrook Academy, a private school participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), was featured in the November 1st Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The article touts the achievement of two Eastbrook students who passed AP biology exams as 8th graders.

Eastbrook currently enrolls over 300 students, almost half through the MPCP.

New Study finds Graduation Rate for MPCP Students 18% Higher Than MPS

February 2, 2010
School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) today released the third study by University of Minnesota Sociologist John Robert Warren showing that students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) graduate at a higher rate than students in the Milwaukee Public Schools. Further, Warren estimates that 3,352 additional Milwaukee students would have received diplomas between 2003 and 2008 if MPS graduation rates had matched those of MPCP students.

The study features six years of data, most recently finding that 77% of MPCP students graduated in 2007-2008, compared to 65% in MPS. The author makes adjustments for ninth grade retention, ensuring accuracy.

The study and release can be accessed by clicking here and here.