Milwaukee Voucher Program Boosts Student Graduation Rates

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Student participants in the Milwaukee school voucher program have graduation rates that are 18 percent higher than those of students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), according to a new report released by John Robert Warren, an education expert and professor at the University of Minnesota.

Data gathered since 2003 show clearly the benefits of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)—which allows students from low-income families to attend participating private schools in Wisconsin's largest city. Had graduation rates for MPS matched those of the MPCP, nearly 4,000 additional students would have graduated from 2003 to 2009. Job-related productivity from those additional graduates would have also resulted in approximately $4.2 million in additional tax revenue.

The findings from Milwaukee echo those from the voucher program in Washington, D.C. Dr. Patrick Wolf, a University of Arkansas professor was the principal investigator in a U.S. Department of Education study on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which last year found that graduation rates for OSP participants were 21 points higher than for non-OSP students. The program, which began in 2004, awards scholarships to low-income families in the nation's capital so they can attend the school of their choice. Despite a host of data showing that the OSP has delivered positive results, Congress has so far failed to reauthorize the program.

The MPCP is the longest-running school choice program in the United States. The program, which now boasts more than 20,000 participants, costs taxpayers $6,442 per student. By comparison, Milwaukee Public Schools spending is $15,034 per student, more than twice the cost of the MPCP.