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Vouchers Aren't the Answer
by Shepherd Express Staff
Today the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released new results for the statewide exam.
Not surprising to those who have been paying attention, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) did better than schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), otherwise known as the voucher program.
Overall, MPS had 47.8% of its students scoring as proficient in math, with 59% proficient in reading.
Among economically disadvantaged kids, MPS scored 43.9% in math and 55.3% in reading.
Those scores are lower for students in the voucher programall of whom are economically disadvantaged, although that could change if Gov. Scott Walker has his way and opens up the program to middle-class and wealthy kids. Only 34.4% of voucher students scored proficient in math, while 55.2% were proficient in reading, about the same as MPS.
MPS also scored higher than MPCP students in language arts, science and social studies, DPI reported.
No wonder why voucher school supporters resisted making these test scores public. No wonder why Walker wants to eliminate these tests in the coming year at the same time he wants to expand the program. The data don't stand up to scrutiny. In fact, these scores mirror previous analyses by researchers from the University of Arkansas, who found that voucher students are not performing any better than MPS students.
I've always wondered why folks believe that "choice" is better than universal public education. According to voucher supporters' logic, the more "choice" there is in a system, the better the results will be. Parents will send their kids to the best schools, regardless of whether they are public or private, and schools will compete for the students, thereby raising the outcomes of the entire educational system. In theory it makes sense, I guess. But it's not playing out according to that logic in the real world.
Milwaukee has the oldest and broadest voucher system in the country. It's been a virtual Petrie dish of free market educational reforms. So if you follow the "choice" logic to its natural conclusion, then Milwaukee should have the best educational system in the county because we have the most choice.
Yet, after 20 years of experimenting with vouchers, Milwaukee definitely does not have the best educational system in the country. It doesn't even have the best educational system in Wisconsin, since both MPS and voucher students perform worse than their peers around the state.
So what gives?
Are vouchers bringing the entire system down?
Would MPS be a stronger, more efficient district if all students in Milwaukee enrolled in public schools?
Would test scores rise if MPS could focus like a laser beam on academics instead of focusing on advertising and marketing, selling off unused buildings, raising property taxes to fund voucher schools and fighting needless political battles over the existence of the district?
Seems to me that the answers to the above are yes.
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