This 11th annual census indicates that, after more than 10 years of growth, many characteristics of MPCP (Milwaukee Parental Chide Program) schools are not markedly different from those of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Key findings reported include: (1) Total voucher use grew 5% over last year, the second smallest annual growth since religious…

As the push for economic stimulus has states contemplating economic development in new and different ways, Wisconsin may find it helpful to note the unconventional efforts of its neighbors. who have positioned themselves to reap potential long-term economic benefits from high quality early childhood care and education. Business leaders in…

Changes in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program's enabling legislation were intended to increase program ability to enroll dissatisfied public school students while ensuring some third-party accountability for voucher schools. After changes in eligibility requirements and the lifting of the enrollment cap, enrollment did grow, but much of the…

A survey of 414 child care providers in southeastern Wisconsin reveals that cost as well as low wages and lack of benefits for workers can constrain providers from pursuing improvements to child-care quality. Of survey respondents, approximately half of whom are home-based and half center-based, 13% have at least three of five structural factors…

The achievement gap between southeastern Wisconsin schools and those in the rest of the state has widened in all subjects and at all grade levels from 2006. Although school spending is above the state average in the region, and removing the Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha public school districts from the equation currently improves overall…

During the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program's (MPCP) 15th year, the statutory cap on voucher enrollment was met: for the first time, the voucher program enrollment surpassed 15% of Milwaukee Public School (MPS) enrollment. Hitting the cap has triggered a heated political debate. Voucher advocates argue that the cap should be lifted, that…

Public schools can be considered a form of workforce development, and thus it is important to measure the "work product" of the schools. The Public Policy Forum's annual analysis of public schools in the 50 districts serving southeastern Wisconsin measured absenteeism as educational opportunities lost because children were not in class.…

Public schools in the seven counties of southeastern Wisconsin spent $3.1 billion in 2004-2005 to employ 36,234 teachers and educate 308,936 children. Taken together, the region's K-12 public schools would be the largest employer in southeastern Wisconsin and the largest workforce developer in the region. The scale of K-12 public education is…

This year continues a 14-year trend of growth in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). More students than ever before are attending the city's private schools using taxpayer-funded vouchers. In addition, more private schools participate than ever before, including a significant number of schools new to the program. This growth has put…

Four schools in the Milwaukee Public School (MPS) district now have appeared on the state's list of schools needing improvement for four years in a row. After four years on the list, schools are required under federal law to take corrective action, which could include restructuring the internal organization of the school, replacing staff,…

One criticism of Milwaukee's Parental Choice Program (MPCP) made by parents and policy makers focuses on the lack of information regarding student performance across participating schools. Schools participating in the MPCP are not required to either administer standardized exams or report their scores. The Public Policy Forum's annual census of…

Although the hope for charter schools is the lessening and eventual elimination of the achievement gap that exists by race and income, this report indicates that charter schools in Milwaukee are mirroring the test score gap of both Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and the state of Wisconsin in both fourth grade reading and fourth grade math. Other…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has set a bar that determines the level at which students are expected to achieve, and schools and school districts are measured, not against each other, but on whether or not they meet the standard set by the law. Following the 2002-2003 school year, 60 schools in Southeastern Wisconsin school…

One school year after implementation of the Neighborhood Schools Initiative (NS), more Milwaukee Public School (MPS) district schools enroll more neighborhood students, although the increase in neighborhood enrollment is not the result of capacity-building; fewer schools have the capacity to enroll all their neighborhood students than two years…

The Forum's 16th annual report on public schooling in Southeastern Wisconsin reveals that spending increased 4% in Southeastern Wisconsin school districts to $2.8 billion last year, although the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) experienced a significantly smaller increase (2.7%). Part of this relatively small increase can be attributed to the…