Suggests Religion as a Common Variable in Success of Choice Schools
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) released a new report about student achievement for those participating in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Programs.
The report, “Apples to Apples” controls for, for the first time, socio-economic status and demographics when comparing student achievement in Wisconsin’s public, charter and private schools. Specifically, the report focuses on comparing Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) with the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and MPS charter schools.
Especially important for WCRIS schools, the report shows “a significant, positive relationship between student performance and whether the private school is Catholic or Lutheran. These religious schools drive the overall positive effect of the MPCP.”
The report found that Catholic school students are approximately 7 percent more likely to be proficient on the Forward Exam in Math and 15 percent more likely to be proficient in English compared to students in MPS. While students in Lutheran schools are around 8 percent more likely to be proficient in math compared to students in other schools in the MPCP.
Additionally, the report shows a need for choices out state. Wisconsin’s rural public schools struggle as much as the state’s urban public schools when it comes to student achievement.
After breaking down public schools based on rural versus urban location (using DPI definitions), the report finds Wisconsin’s public schools in rural and small towns are 8 percent and 4 percent less likely to be proficient in Math when compared to suburban schools. This disparity in proficiency is a lot like urban schools. Private schools were not included in this analysis because of data limitations.
Lastly, the report found that once socioeconomic and demographic data are controlled for, schools statewide in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) and the Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP) outperform traditional public schools by about 6 points on the ACT composite score. The highest possible score on the ACT is a 36, which translates into a 16 percent increase in ACT scores for students attending a school in the WPCP or the RPCP.
When you consider the ACT as a college entrance exam, such a large jump in points may open opportunities for admission to colleges and for scholarship opportunities, the report noted.
Overall, the report’s findings suggest that private schools in a Choice program and public charter schools outperform traditional public schools on the ACT and Forward exam once specific controls such as race, poverty and the number of English as a second language (ESL) students are factored in to exam data.
Please note you may be contacted by local reporters with questions about your reactions to the findings. Please feel free to contact WCRIS should you need assistance crafting a response.
