Report challenges voucher program critics’ opposition that schools are “unaccountable” August 1, 2017 – Milwaukee, WI – School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) and Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) have co-authored a new, comprehensive study on the impact of Wisconsin’s accountability laws on private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP).  The study, the first of its kind, explains how these laws – and parental choice – have influenced the manner that private schools have gained or lost access the MPCP, their fiscal viability and enrollment trends over time. The study focuses on the current administrative accountability measures and how…

Yesterday, a LFB memo was released highlighting the state aid portion of education funding and the relative levels between the Parental Choice Programs and traditional public school district funding increases. As has been the practice, the request for the memo is selectively narrow to give only a portion of the data without context. The memo pointed to an increase in voucher funding compared to a decrease in public school funding. In this instance, the illusion of higher voucher funding is woven into a narrative that lacks context by only using the state portion of funding. While the per pupil voucher…

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) published a press release this morning noting that 28 private schools in 5 counties have registered for the new Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP). In total, there are 416 seats available for students ranging from grades K4-12 and ages 4-21. “Once again, parents and students are showing their demand for options in education in Wisconsin,” said Jim Bender, President of School Choice Wisconsin. “The Special Needs Scholarship holds promise for many families seeking a new direction for their children.” All schools were required to complete a school profile outlining which special needs services they…

Data released today by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) shows that again this year, students in the Parental Choice Programs are outperforming their peers.  As with all test data, a one-year snapshot has limitations but the trend of higher test scores for students on a voucher is great news for students and taxpayers. “All three Parental Choice Programs, comprised predominately of low-income students, outscored their full-income counterparts across the entire state in public schools on the ACT,” Jim Bender said. “Combined with the Forward Exam, these results highlight superior outcomes at a fraction of the cost to taxpayers.” Below…

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released test score data from last spring that shows that students in the Parental Choice Programs did well when measured against their public school counterparts.  In both math and English language arts, students on a voucher in all three choice programs outperformed their income-adjusted counterparts on the Badger Exam, the Act and Dynamic Learning Maps Exam, and the ACT Plus Writing Exam. In some cases, low-income voucher students even outperformed their full-income public school peers. “The test results show higher scores for students in the Parental Choice Programs,” Jim Bender, President of School Choice…

The Special Needs Scholarship, created in the last state budget, needed minor adjustments to match both the intent of the legislature with regards to eligibility and to assist in implementation by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).  After years of work to design the program, School Choice Wisconsin thanks Senator Leah Vukmir, Representative John Jagler and former Representative Michelle Litjens for their leadership. “Students with special needs will now have additional opportunities to attend the right school for them,” Jim Bender, President of School Choice Wisconsin said.  “The students eligible for this program have been discriminated against because of their…