A new report has come out comparing Milwaukee public high school students and students enrolled in the Milwaukee Parent’s Choice Program. The Milwaukee Parent’s Choice Program or MPCP is a system of private schools available to low-income families (<$35,000) living in Milwaukee. About one in four high school students who live in the region are in the MPCP program boasting over 18,000 students. There are a total of 122 private schools that parents can choose from for their children to attend. Jay Greene, PhD, has conducted a study on the class of 2002-2003. This preliminary study done on the two systems suggest that the MPCP students receive a better education than the students in public schools. The 2004 report by Jay Greene showed a difference in graduation rates between the two systems to be 28%, with the MPCP performing much higher. A more-in-depth study clarifies the findings.
A new study is available from Dr. John Warren from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, who conducted a more thorough investigation into the nature of the two high school programs in Milwaukee. Original reports focused exclusively on the number of ninth graders in one year and the number of seniors four years later. This did not really take into account graduation rates. There are variables that need to be accounted for in order to create an accurate survey. Factors like student mortality, students entering and leaving the school system, and students who have to repeat their grade.
This expanded study was conducted over a period of four years. The MPCP schools showed on average, a 10-20% advantage over the public school system. The MPCP had a steady 57-61% graduation rate compared to MPS’s 36-49%. Of the ten largest high schools in MPS, only two had graduation rates over 50%. Of the three largest MPCP high schools, none had graduation rates under 50%. The difference between the systems is already becoming evident.
Now there is the issue of net migration to consider. Net migration is the ratio of students entering a school to those leaving it. This ratio can either negatively or positively affect the outcome of the survey. However, unless there is a huge exchange of students during the year this ratio will probably remain very even and thus very negligible. The retention rate of a grade needs to be considered as well. If there is a 5% retention rate then the graduation rate will be lowered accordingly. If the most extreme example of both net emigration and low retention rate in MPCP was compared to the most extreme high retention rate and net immigration in MPS then the two systems would be about even at 58%. That’s pretty good for MPCP considering these are the two opposite extremes.
Now here are the results. If the graduation rate of the MPS was equal to the rate in the MPCP, then 1,870 more students would have graduated high school over four years, with a graduation percent change of 14.3%. The MPS reports a graduation rate of 68% in 2005-2006, which is a curious 15% more than the study’s results show. Also, in 2004-2005 MPS said its graduation rate was 65%, but the results indicate that it was really around 52%. The final count between the two systems puts the MPCP ahead of MPS in graduation rates by an average of 10%.
No matter which way you cut it, the Milwaukee Parent’s Choice Program is out- performing the Milwaukee public school system. This study did not however, take into account the grades or test scores of the participating students. It is possible, though not probable, that the public schools are doing better on tests then private schools. Then again, what good is an A if a student doesn’t walk away with a diploma? The study could have national effect given our current education system’s problems. Perhaps Milwaukee found an answer.
Jeremy Hempel is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.
