Reports by issue topic
Education
Education at all levels has been a deep interest of The Public Policy Forum for more than eight decades. We publish an annual study on public schooling in Southeastern Wisconsin, which analyzes the enrollment, staffing, finances and outcomes of the 94 school districts in the seven-county area. In addition, the Forum is currently undertaking several grant-funded studies of education reform in Milwaukee with a focus on their national implications
| After a decade of choice, voucher schools look like MPS |
February 9, 2009 |
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| research brief |
| The number of students using vouchers to attend private schools in Milwaukee under the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) has grown from 6,194 in 1998-99 to 20,244 today. The value of a voucher also has grown during this time, from $4,894 to $6,607 per full-time pupil, resulting in an increase in the annual cost to fund the program, from $28.2 million to $129.1 million over the past decade. Not surprisingly, the total enrollment in the private schools in the program has also grown, by a hefty 58%. So, after more than 10 years of growth, are the characteristics of MPCP schools markedly different from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)? |
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| Milwaukee Voucher Schools 2009-2010 |
February, 2009 |
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| full report |
| 2009-2010 directory of schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. |
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| 11th annual comparative analysis of the Racine Unified School District |
October, 2008 |
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| full report |
| This is the 11th annual report on conditions affecting the Racine Unified School District
(RUSD). This year, our analysis again focuses on the long-term historical trends in RUSD.
The analysis compares RUSD to nine peer school districts and the State of Wisconsin. RUSD
peer districts are Wisconsin’s largest (Milwaukee Public Schools are not included) and their
enrollments are similar to the enrollment in Racine. We have grouped the findings in the report
based on RUSD quality objective measures: student achievement, student engagement, and operational
efficiency. Student achievement includes test scores and graduation rates; student engagement
includes attendance and behavior; and operational efficiency includes finance data. |
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| Region’s Schools Narrow Achievement Gap With State |
October 13, 2008 |
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| research brief |
| In a direct reversal from last year, the 2007-08 achievement gap between schools in southeast Wisconsin and
those in the rest of the state, as measured by Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) standardized
test scores, narrowed in all subjects at all grade levels. |
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| 2007-2008 Southeastern Wisconsin School District Rankings |
October, 2008 |
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| full report |
| Pull-out poster providing rankings in an easily readable format. Rankings of K-12 school districts, according to enrollment, district finances, student participation and student performance measures. |
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| Child-care Provider Survey Reveals Cost Constrains Quality |
June 6, 2008 |
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| research brief |
| 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.
High‐quality early childhood care and education has been found to produce short‐ and long‐term educational, cognitive,
and social benefits for children. Consequently, we sought to measure whether our region’s child care providers
have the capacity to supply that type of beneficial care and we wanted to learn from providers where barriers to quality
exist.
We surveyed licensed and/or certified providers in the seven‐county region, about half of whom are family (homebased)
child care providers and half are center‐based (group) providers or preschools. Of our survey respondents, 13%
have at least three of five structural factors often associated with highest quality care. In addition, over three‐quarters
of our sample is neither accredited nor seeking accreditation. |
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| Toward High Quality Early Childhood Education: An Imperative for the Regional Economy |
April, 2008 |
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| full report |
| A gap exists between the current status of child care in the U.S. and best quality child care. This gap is unfortunate, because high quality child care is associated with many short- and long-term economic benefits for both the children and society as a whole. A growing body of research indicates that high quality early childhood care and education can be one of the best economic development investments a local or state government can make. |
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| Parents pleased with child care options and quality |
April, 2008 |
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| full report |
| A recent survey of 430 parents in southeastern Wisconsin finds the vast majority are satisfied with the quality of their
child care arrangements and their options for child care. In fact, most say they would not change anything about their
child care arrangement if they had the chance, and nearly two‐thirds report a willingness to pay more for their current
child care.
The high rates of satisfaction may contradict other research on child care quality in the region which, using more
empirical methods, has found that the majority of child care providers are of mediocre quality.* Parents’ general
satisfaction with the quality of their child care providers also may explain why legislative efforts to improve child care
quality in Wisconsin have found little grass roots support. Parents may be satisfied with what experts may deem lower
quality child care either because they are not aware the quality is not optimal, or because they value different aspects of
quality than do researchers and policymakers. |
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| Did compromise voucher law achieve intended purpose? |
February, 2008 |
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| full report |
| In early 2006, Governor Doyle signed Act 125 into law, codifying the legislative compromise that allowed the
cap on enrollment in Milwaukee’s Parental Choice Program (MPCP) to be increased in exchange for greater accountability
for the participating schools.
After the cap was increased to 22,500 voucher students last school year, voucher use increased 16% to 17,951
students, the largest growth in the program since the 2000‐01 school year. One year later, voucher enrollment
increased only 7%, the second smallest increase since 1999‐00. Voucher enrollment is now 19,233 students in
123 schools. |
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| Milwaukee Voucher Schools 2008-2009 |
February, 2008 |
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| full report |
| 2008-2009 directory of schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. |
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