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MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – the combined state chamber and manufacturers’ association – called on policymakers Thursday to support increased funding for choice and charter schools. In addition to having support from a broad coalition of advocacy organizations, a new poll conducted by WMC Foundation – an affiliate of WMC – showed Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly believe there should be equitable funding for public, choice and charter schools.

“Parents across Wisconsin owe gratitude to Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu. Through their leadership, Wisconsin will once again be a leader in education freedom and empowering parents.

This report identifies134 Wisconsin ZIP codes with 40,000 school-age children that have no high-performing school options within ten miles. The report, Without A Choice: Wisconsin’s High-performing School Deserts, sheds light on the rural regions of Wisconsin where students lack access to high-performing schools.

This study explores the implications of expanded enrollment in Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Program – the statewide voucher program that currently has tight caps on enrollment. Flanders’ model indicates that an expansion of the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program to 20% enrollment would result in 400 more low-income Wisconsin students graduating from college per year. Because of the immense economic benefits of a college degree, Wisconsin could expect to benefit from more college graduates to the tune of $3.2 billion over two decades – $2.6 billion in consumer spending and nearly half billion in additional tax revenue.

In this report, we take a comprehensive look at Wisconsin’s schools by assessing outcomes on a level playing field, while taking into account student characteristics. Unlike last year’s report, much of the school year studied was conducted under “normal” circumstances—in person, with far fewer virtual learning days. Consequently, this year’s report paints a clearer picture of where education stands in the Badger State: that school choice options continue to provide a significant performance advantage for Wisconsin students.

School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) and Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) have co-authored a new, comprehensive study on the impact of Wisconsin’s accountability laws on private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). The study, the first of its kind, explains how these laws – and parental choice – have influenced the manner that private schools have gained or lost access to the MPCP, their fiscal viability and enrollment trends over time.

One of the few things that all Americans agree on about education is that it must improve. How, specifically? There we differ.

Several hundred Wisconsinites gathered in Madison this month to revel in a revelation: We’ve known for years how to stop failing so often at teaching children to read.

“These kids need this. They need this kind of positive environment.” Otherwise, he said, “there’s no telling what these kids would be doing right now, especially in the city of Milwaukee.”