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January 24, 2022 By Susan Mitchell In 1990, the Milwaukee School Choice Program served only 341 students at seven schools. Last year nearly 29,000 students — 1 in 4 Milwaukee school children —used it to attend 129 private schools. More than three decades have passed since former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson signed into law the nation’s first modern parent choice program. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program inspired a national movement. Thirty-two other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now have their own parent choice programs, serving more than 600,000 students. The pandemic has fueled recent growth and awakened…
Read MoreContact: Nicholas Kelly, 414.319.9160 BROOKFIELD, WI – This Friday, School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) will be hosting an event at Lambeau Field to celebrate National School Choice Week. We will host over 29 schools and school systems from around the state. SCW will have over 300 guests, including parents, state legislators, businesses, and other community leaders who support our mission. In addition, SCW will have an all-star lineup of guest speakers. Our keynote speaker is former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. Leading up to this event, SCW founder and former SCW board chair Susan Mitchell has published an article here that provides…
Read MoreContact: Jim Bender, School Choice Wisconsin [email protected] 414.319.9160 Brookfield, WI – Upon the announcement that Representative Thiesfeldt will not run for reelection, School Choice Wisconsin thanks him for his years of public service and dedication to education in Wisconsin. As chairman of the Assembly Education Committee his guidance and assistance has been invaluable to lives of thousands of students across Wisconsin. In particular, his support for the Parental Choice Programs helped transform the landscape of education reform. When first elected, there was a single program in Milwaukee with roughly 100 schools and 21,000 students. Today, there are four programs,…
Read MoreFor Immediate Release October 15, 2021 Contact: Jim Bender, School Choice Wisconsin [email protected] 414.319.9160 Brookfield, WI – The Department of Public Instruction released enrollment numbers today for all education sectors in Wisconsin for this fall. Here is the data from their press release: The state’s four private school parental choice programs (4) reported a combined third Friday of September 2021 headcount of 48,919. This was an increase of 6.6 percent over 2020. 4K headcount in the private school parental choice programs increased by 10.7 percent, kindergarten increased by 5.1 percent, and grades 1-12 were up by 6.5 percent. Independent charter…
Read MoreSchool Choice Wisconsin (SCW) has named Nicholas Kelly to the position of president, effective immediately, said Susan Mitchell, acting president and board chair. Kelly joined SCW in July. He formerly was the principal of St. Thomas More High School, a private school in Milwaukee that participates in Wisconsin’s parental choice programs. As a principal Mr. Kelly took a special interest in making his students feel part of the school community. Under his leadership St. Thomas More implemented a four-year servant leadership program, an after-school mentoring/tutoring program, and a social and emotional wellness program through student services. He took a holistic approach…
Read MoreWisconsin Private School Choice Programs and Special Needs Scholarship Program – Department of Public Instruction Authority – Executive Summary
Read MoreWisconsin Private School Choice Programs and Special Needs Scholarship Program – Department of Public Instruction Authority
Read MoreAround the country we have seen a number of new education policy proposals that empower parents in K-12 education. Even in states that are not traditional sources of educational options, the pandemic has engaged parents in a manner that is garnering strong reactions. Today, here in Wisconsin, we see a new proposal that expands our existing parental choice options. By eliminating a number of remaining barriers, parents would have significantly more control across all sectors of education for all parents. Common Sense Wisconsin released the Power Education Blueprint with an agenda for reforming and enhancing the way families engage with…
Read MoreParticipation in the MPCP Lowers Criminal Convictions for the Most At-Risk The Journal of Private Enterprise recently named “Private School Choice and Character: More Evidence from Milwaukee” as the best academic article of 2021 in their publication. The paper by Patrick J. Wolf, Ph.D., and Corey A. DeAngelis, Ph.D., examined the effects of Milwaukee’s school voucher program on adult criminal activity and paternity suits, using matched student-level data. “The study by Wolf and DeAngelis adds to the growing evidence on the positive impact of Milwaukee’s pioneering choice program,” said Mary McIntosh, School Choice Wisconsin President. She added, “Earlier research shows…
Read MoreLast August, days after some schools had opened and days before most schools were ready to open, the Dane County Health Department issued a school closure order for all schools, public and private serving grades 3-12. School Choice Wisconsin Action, along with several private schools and other stakeholders, immediately filed suit through the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. The petition asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court for an injunction that would allow schools to open while the Court deliberated. The injunction was granted allowing private schools in Dane County to open for in-person instruction, but the Court’s final decision was…
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