School Choice in the States -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin

SCHOOL CHOICE IN THE STATES

FOCUS ON:
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

In 1990 the Wisconsin legislature enacted the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program to allow economically disadvantaged pupils in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to use their state share of education funds to attend a nonsectarian private schools. Court battles have plagued the ten-year-old program, but in the latest ruling, on June 10, 1998, the State Supreme Court upheld the program. Presently, about 1,650 students are using choice scholarships to attend participating non-sectarian schools, and parents continue their court battle to expand choice by including sectarian schools. Studies evaluating students' progress and family satisfaction have been encouraging.

Key legislative provisions of program.
A-OKAY: Weeks of budget negotiations had the Milwaukee choice program locked in limbo (see below), but thanks to the Governor's tenacity, a bipartisan crew of legislators, the force of the reformers on the Milwaukee school board, and thousands of parents in the city, the program emerged unscathed. CER Newswire June 25, 2002.
SLASH & BURN? A conference committee of the Wisconsin legislature is debating cutting $23 million from the Milwaukee voucher program, part of an overall effort to resolve the state's $1.1 billion budget deficit. The measure would cut voucher amounts for all ages; for example, vouchers for grades K-6 would be slashed from this year's level of $5,784 to only $2,000 next year, and by half again in grades K-8 the following year. CER will continue to monitor the situation, and hope that the Badger State's belt-tightening won't squeeze the life out of this program that has brought hope to so many. CER Newswire, May 7, 2002.
TO CHANGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: How School Choice is Turning Around Milwaukee Public Schools, By Ken Johnson, elected director of the Milwaukee Public School Board, in The Washington Times, February 12 , 2001.
SCHOOL CHOICE IS WORKING IN MILWAUKEE
By Howard Fuller
Excerpt from an editorial in The Business Journal Serving Charlotte and the Metropolitan Area, December 22, 2000
SCHOOL CHOICE: THE CONTINUING STRUGGLE, By Dr. Howard Fuller, Institute for the Transformation of Learning, March 2000, A detailed look at the history of school choice in Milwaukee, this paper exposes the critical issue of school choice: "It's about power: Should low-income, mostly African American parents receive vouchers that will empower them to make educational choices that a majority of Americans both cherish and take for granted?"
Update, February 7, 2000: A report by Wisconsin's Legislative Audit Bureau found that despite fears of creaming and segregation, the Milwaukee school choice program is serving a population that is identical to the Milwaukee Public Schools. Link to: “An Evaluation: Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, February 2000”, Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau
A CHOICE WIN FOR MILWAUKEE: An Exclusive Interview with Re-elected School Board Member John Gardner, April 9, 1999
We Win!: Court Says Yes! To Milwaukee School Choice! And Privately-funded Efforts Thrive, Too., June 10, 1998
School Choice in Milwaukee: 1990 - 1998, Howard L. Fuller, Ph.D., June 1998
Effectiveness of School Choice: The Milwaukee Experiment, by Jay P. Greene, Paul E. Peterson, and Jiangtao Du, March 1997
Methodological Issues in Evaluation Research: The Milwaukee School Choice Plan, by Jay P. Greene and Paul E. Peterson, August 29, 1996

SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS:

Dr. Howard Fuller
Institute for the Transformation of Learning
Marquette University
P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Phone: (414) 288-5774
Fax: (414) 288-6199
Email: fullerh@vms.csd.mu.edu
Website: www.schoolchoiceinfo.org

Founded by Howard Fuller, former Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, the Institute supports programs that expand parental school choice for those who have few options.

Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)
Phone: (414) 288-8203
Website: http://www.baeoonline.org

BAEO is a national organization whose mission is to actively support parental choice to empower families and increase educational options for Black children.

Parents For School Choice
2541 North 46th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53210-2921
Phone: 1-414-288-3054
Fax: 1-414-584-4648

Brother Bob Smith
Messmer High School
742 West Capitol Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53206-3327
Phone: 414-228-9030
Fax: 1-414-228-7516

Wisconsin Charter Schools Association
Senn Brown, WCSA Secretary
P.O. Box 628243
Middleton, WI 53562-8243
Tel: 608-238-7491
Email: sennb@chorus.net

Search the Reform Update and Monthly Letter Libraries to get the latest developments on school choice state-by-state.

See School Choice Facts for an overview of how school choice programs are not only improving the education opportunity for participating children, but also having a dramatic impact on how non-choice public schools operate.

See Key Legislative Provisions for a point-by-point breakdown and comparison of the Florida, Cleveland and Milwaukee school choice programs.

See School Choice Research for the latest findings on the impact of school choice for students, schools and communities.

See Private Scholarship Programs for state-by-state listings of and links to privately funded school choice programs.

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