Wisconsin’s choice enrollment is growing. This is no surprise to School Choice Wisconsin given the widespread embrace of educational freedom in Wisconsin and around the country. We are especially pleased to see the growth of the Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP), one of Wisconsin’s four choice programs. The program went from a headcount of 1,759 in 2021–22 to 2,217 in 22–23, growing more than 25 percent in one year. One school that’s embracing the program is Kettle Moraine Lutheran in Jackson. That school — with its beautiful facilities and setting — has seen its SNSP enrollment go from zero in…
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Read MoreAs School Choice Wisconsin took a look at recent data released on student achievement in the nation, we noted that Catholic schools outperformed public schools nationwide in math and reading in grades 4 and 8, the grades with data available for 2022. ChoiceWords focuses on Catholic schools here because it’s the only type of private school that gets a standalone data breakout from the NCES, the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Department of Education entity that produces the Nation’s Report Card. Think tanks, journalists, educators and others use the Report Card data to gauge progress in the nation’s…
Read MoreSchool Choice Wisconsin has moved into a new office. It’s a nice space at 10427 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite 1800, in West Allis. We have a new sign, a new rug and pumpkin-scented candles. Our contact info remains the same. Email us at [email protected] or call us at 414-319-9160.
Read MoreIf you see a School Choice Wisconsin table at a local event, stop by. We’d like to chat with you about the growing movement for educational empowerment. Here’s our table at the recent Wisconsin Lutheran State Teachers’ Conference at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee.
Read MoreIf you’re a parent out there benefitting from choice, spread the word! In ChoiceWords’ experience, parents like to hear about options for their kids. Also, please contact ChoiceWords at [email protected] to share your story. Educating parents on the fine points of Wisconsin’s four parental choice programs is key to making sure they get their kids into a school that fits their family. Many Wisconsin parents may know about choice but not know the particulars of how to get into the programs. Principal Megan Sagat introduced school choice at St. Peter’s School, a Catholic school in East Troy, five years ago. Sagat…
Read MoreIf your school is considering participating in one of Wisconsin’s choice programs, consider this: School Choice Wisconsin is here to help with applying and onboarding. ChoiceWords attended a session in September with a school looking to join one of Wisconsin’s choice programs. The essential informational session was run on-site at the school by School Choice Wisconsin Vice President of Operations Carol Shires. Shires is among the onboarding experts at SCW. The school was excited about a future with the choice program, but had many financial, paperwork, deadline, state regulatory and enrollment questions. Each school’s situation is different. At the September…
Read MoreIt’s been a good news Friday for choice. The latest: Waukesha-based Open Sky Education is now a semifinalist for the annual $1 million Yass Prize. Congratulations! The Yass Prize is a competition overseen by the Center for Education Reform spotlighting education providers who aspire to deliver education that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless (STOP). As a semifinalist of the Yass Prize, Open Sky Education will receive a $200,000 award and will take part in a four-week hybrid accelerator program, in addition to earning a chance to compete for the grand prize. The money awarded to Open Sky will fund…
Read MoreGood news! Choice is growing in Wisconsin! According to numbers released today by the state Department of Public Instruction: • The state’s four private school parental choice programs reported a headcount of 52,189. This was an increase of 6.7 percent over 2021. 4K headcount in the private school parental choice programs increased by 8.5 percent, kindergarten increased by 5.1 percent and grades 1-12 were up by 6.8 percent. • Independent charter schools reported a headcount of 11,150, an increase of 4.5 percent from September 2021. • Wisconsin’s total school district headcount was 807,657, a decline of 0.85 percent from September…
Read More♦ Life Happens: A ChoiceWords series ♦ The state needs to add additional enrollment periods for the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. The state should also end the program’s grade-level entry points, which can prevent families from accessing the program for years. This is the third installment in a periodic ChoiceWords series. This time we stop in Wisconsin Rapids. Rough-edged challenges hit families across Wisconsin Rapids when the town’s Verso paper mill shut down in 2020, Assumption Catholic Schools President Dan Minter told ChoiceWords in a recent chat “I don’t care what town you’re in, but anytime a major employer closes down, it…
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