Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024.
Authors:	Shear, Benjamin R.¹
Source:	Education Review (10945296). 2025, Vol. 32, p1-16. 16p.
Subject Terms:	School choice, Education statistics, Public schools, Educators, Outcome assessment (Education), Educational finance, *Charter schools
Geographic Terms:	Wisconsin, Milwaukee County (Wis.)
Abstract:	The growth of school choice programs, including publicly funded private school vouchers and charter schools, raises questions about the relative effectiveness and cost of these options. A recent Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) report analyzes publicly available test score data in Wisconsin to investigate these questions. The report uses statistical adjustments to compare test scores across Wisconsin public schools, private "choice" schools, and charter schools. Based on these analyses and the per-pupil funding amounts for each program, the report concludes that choice schools (private schools and charters) are relatively more effective, lower cost options that provide "more bang for the buck." However, the statistical analyses are unable to overcome fundamental limitations inherent in the publicly available data, and the report also suffers from a lack of systematic fiscal analyses--meaning that it fails to provide strong evidence for either of its central claims. The report also lacks important methodological details, further limiting the usefulness of the results to inform policymakers or the public about the relative cost and performance of Wisconsin schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Education Review (10945296) is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	The growth of school choice programs, including publicly funded private school vouchers and charter schools, raises questions about the relative effectiveness and cost of these options. A recent Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) report analyzes publicly available test score data in Wisconsin to investigate these questions. The report uses statistical adjustments to compare test scores across Wisconsin public schools, private "choice" schools, and charter schools. Based on these analyses and the per-pupil funding amounts for each program, the report concludes that choice schools (private schools and charters) are relatively more effective, lower cost options that provide "more bang for the buck." However, the statistical analyses are unable to overcome fundamental limitations inherent in the publicly available data, and the report also suffers from a lack of systematic fiscal analyses--meaning that it fails to provide strong evidence for either of its central claims. The report also lacks important methodological details, further limiting the usefulness of the results to inform policymakers or the public about the relative cost and performance of Wisconsin schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	10945296