81,000 students in Wisconsin benefit from school choice
The News: January 20-26 marks National School Choice Week, a week-long celebration of the progress made across the country in providing parents with education options. WILL is celebrating National School Choice Week by releasing a short summary of facts about school choice in Wisconsin.
All week we’ll be profiling private schools participating in the school choice programs. Check out our first profile on the innovative new Free Enterprise Academy at Milwaukee Lutheran High School.
Dive Deeper: Wisconsin has a rich history of providing parents and families with education options that best serve their children.
- Wisconsin is home to the nation’s oldest private voucher program in the country. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), created with bipartisan support in 1990, now provides education options to 28,000 students in Wisconsin’s largest city.
- 60,000 students use Wisconsin’s open enrollment program, a form of school choice where students can enroll in another public school district.
- 42,000 students attend public charter schools – which happen to be some of the highest performing schools in the state.
- 10,000 students attend private schools in the Racine Parental Choice Program (3,000) and the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (7,000), new and growing voucher programs.
- 650 Wisconsin students use the Special Needs Scholarship Program, a program designed to provide low-income students with special needs with the option to attend a private school.
The Facts: School choice in Wisconsin has been the subject of a number of rigorous academic studies and research. Some important findings include:
- Higher proficiency in reading and math for students in Choice and Charter schools.
- $500 million in economic benefits resulting from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
- Students attending choice schools are less likely to commit crimes.
- School choice results in more money per student for public schools.
The Bottom Line: School choice ensures that all families, regardless of zip code or income, have the option to send their children to the school that is best for them.
Join WILL and advocates of education options by using the #SchoolChoice hashtag on social media. Try out the following tweets.
[Tweet “I support #SchoolChoice because ALL Wisconsin families deserve to choose the best school for their child”]
[Tweet “Your zip code or your income should never determine your destiny. #SchoolChoice is a ladder to #opportunity”]
[Tweet “81,000 students in Wisconsin attend a private voucher or a charter school. #SchoolChoice is not only right, it’s popular!”]
[Tweet “National polling shows 67% support #schoolchoice. Support is bipartisan. 80% among GOPers. 69% of Inds and 56% of Dems.”]
[Tweet “Higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and safer schools. #SchoolChoice is good for students”]
