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This is the final report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This report features analyses of student achievement growth four years after the authors carefully assembled longitudinal study panels of MPCP and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students in 2006-07. The MPCP, which began in 1990, provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The maximum voucher amount in 2010-11 was $6,442, and 20,996 children used a voucher to attend either secular or religious private schools. The MPCP is the oldest and largest urban school voucher program in the United States. This evaluation was authorized by 2005 Wisconsin Act 125, which was enacted in 2006. The primary purpose of the evaluation is twofold: 1) to analyze the effectiveness of the MPCP in promoting growth in student achievement as compared to MPS; and 2) to examine the educational attainment--measured by high school graduation and college enrollment rates--of MPCP and MPS students. The first purpose is accomplished by gauging growth in student achievement--as measured by the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in math and reading in grades 3 through 8 and grade 10--over a five-year period for a sample of MPCP students and a carefully matched group of MPS students. The second purpose is accomplished by following the 2006-07 8th and 9th grade MPCP and matched MPS cohorts over a five-year period during which they would have had the opportunity to graduate from high school and enroll in college. Appended are: (1) Descriptive Statistics; (2) Attrition Study; and (3) Stability of the Sample. (Contains 4 figures, 12 tables and 14 footnotes.) [For the "MPCP Longitudinal Educational Growth Study: Fourth Year Report. SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation. Report # 23", see ED518597. Additional support for this report was provided by the Robertson Foundation.]

In this report the authors continue the examination of high school graduation and post-secondary enrollment in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). They consider students enrolled in the MPCP in either 8th or 9th grade in 2006, and a comparison sample of students enrolled in the Milwaukee Public Schools. They find that, as of September 2011: (1) Students enrolled in MPCP in 2006 in either 8th or 9th grade compared to students enrolled in MPS at the same time: (a) Were somewhat more likely to have graduated high school; (b) Were less likely to enroll in a two-year or technical post-secondary institution; (c) Were more likely to enroll in a four-year post-secondary institution; and (d) Dropped out of high school for similar reasons, most notably a poor academic experience; (2) MPCP students who were in 9th grade in 2006 were more likely to both graduate and persist with two years of enrollment in a four-year post-secondary institution; (3) MPCP and MPS students who did enroll in a post-secondary institution were most likely to attend one of three colleges: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Alverno College; and (4) Among MPCP and MPS students who attended other post-secondary institutions: (a) MPCP students were more likely to enroll in a religious or otherwise private four-year institution; (b) MPCP students attended institutions with slightly higher average tuition levels; (c) MPCP students attended institutions with slightly lower SAT and ACT scores; and (d) MPCP students attended institutions with statistically similar rates of applicant acceptance. Four tables are appended. (Contains 13 tables and 8 footnotes.)[Additional funding provided by the Robertson foundation.]

The general purpose of this five-year evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of Milwaukee's independent charter schools in promoting student achievement growth. Independent charter schools are authorized by nonschool-district entities and are considered "independent" because they are not a part of the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS). Throughout the course of this report the authors will estimate four-year achievement gains for independent charter school students who were in grades 3-8 during the 2006-07 school year using reading and math achievement data from the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE). Specifically, the report presents the results of an analysis comparing achievement gains of independent charter students to the achievement gains of a carefully matched sample of students attending MPS. This report draws upon a panel of 2,295 students attending 10 of Milwaukee's 14 independent charter schools who were in grades 3-8 in 2006-07 with test scores for that year. The four charter schools excluded from the sample either were not open for both the baseline and outcome years or did not enroll students in tested grades. The 2,295 tested Milwaukee independent charter school students were carefully matched to an identically sized sample of students attending MPS to provide a comparison group against which the achievement gains of independent charter students could be assessed. Students were matched on prior achievement and propensity scores, which help to control for differences between students on observable characteristics. Appended are: (1) Study Attrition; (2) School Switching; and (3) Matching Algorithm. (Contains 15 tables, 5 figures and 14 footnotes.) [For the "MPCP Longitudinal Educational Growth Study: Fourth Year Report. SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation. Report # 23", see ED518597. Additional support for this report was provided by the Robertson Foundation.]

This is the fourth-year report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This report features analyses of student achievement growth three years after the authors carefully assembled longitudinal study panels of MPCP and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students in 2006-07. The general purposes of the evaluation are to analyze the effectiveness of the MPCP in terms of longitudinal student achievement growth. The general research design for this evaluation consists of a comparison between a random sample of MPCP students and a matched sample of Milwaukee Public School students. These results allow them to compare three-year achievement growth for students in the MPCP, relative to three-year achievement growth for the sample of matched MPS students. While presently they conclude that in general there is no significant difference between MPS students and MPCP students as measured by three years of achievement, this result may change in future analyses. Appended are: (1) Descriptive Statistics; (2) Attrition Study; and (3) Stability of the Sample. (Contains 12 tables, 4 figures and 13 footnotes.)

In this report the authors examine high school completion and postsecondary enrollment (a.k.a. "educational attainment") of the cohort of 9th grade students who were in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) at the beginning of their state-mandated evaluation of the MPCP in 2006. After tracking the MPCP 9th graders following the 2006-07 year and comparing them to a carefully matched sample of 9th graders who were in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) during the 2006-07 year, they use a combination of parent surveys and administrative (school) records to estimate attainment. Overall, the primary finding of this report is that MPCP students had slightly higher rates of attainment than their MPS counterparts. This difference is primarily explained by the fact that more MPCP than MPS students both graduated from high school and enrolled in a four-year college. Some of the MPCP attainment benefit appears to be due to family background, as the attainment differences between their MPCP and MPS samples become smaller and lose statistical significance when they control for such factors as mother's education, income, two-parent families, and religious attendance in attending a two-year or technical college. Students in both sectors were far more likely to graduate and enroll in college if they remained in their initial sector (always in MPCP or always in MPS) from 2006-07 to 2009-10. This effect was stronger than any other attainment outcome they estimated, although it was particularly strong for MPCP students. Appended are: (1) Covariates and 2010 Graduation Survey Response Information; and (2) Other Model Results: Ordered Probit Estimates of Overall Attainment. (Contains 16 tables, 2 figures and 10 footnotes.)

The general purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of Milwaukee's independent charter schools in promoting student achievement growth. Independent charter schools are authorized by non-school district entities and are considered "independent" because they are not a part of the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS). Specifically, the report presents the results of an analysis comparing achievement gains of independent charter students to the achievement gains of a group of matched comparison students attending MPS. Students were matched on prior achievement and propensity scores, which help to control for differences between students on observable characteristics. Based on three years of student achievement growth, charter school students outperformed MPS students in both reading and mathematics after controlling for baseline achievement and other student characteristics. Drawing upon the authors' earlier study of charter school gains (Witte et al., 2010), they see a clear pattern of positive charter school effects growing over time. Supplementary analysis revealed that conversion independent charter schools--schools that converted from private schools--as a subgroup did better than MPS schools in all three growth years. In the third growth year non-conversion charter schools also did better than MPS schools in mathematics but not necessarily in reading. Further analyses indicate that after three years charter schools appear to have the greatest positive impact on students at the lower end of the achievement distribution. When looking specifically at "stayer students", or those who remained in their initial sector (charter or traditional) for four years, the performance of charter stayers was much higher than that of MPS stayers after three years. Appended are: (1) Study Attrition; and (2) School Switching. (Contains 16 tables, 1 figure and 17 footnotes.)

The general purpose of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of independent charter schools in promoting two desirable student outcomes: student achievement growth and educational attainment. Independent charter schools are authorized by non-district entities and are considered "independent" because they are not a part of the Milwaukee Public School District. The authors will estimate achievement growth of independent charter school students in grades 3-8 over four years in reading and math on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE). Similarly, in later reports the authors will track student attainment, specifically whether upper-grade cohorts in their evaluation graduate from high school. Case studies of independent charter schools will help them to identify best practices in these schools and will also be addressed in future reports. This report provides findings comparing the first year of achievement growth (2006 to 2007) of students attending independent charters to the achievement growth of a group of matched comparison students attending Milwaukee Public Schools. The authors' next report, to be released in spring 2011, will examine two- and three-year achievement growth. These reports draw upon a panel of all 2,295 students attending 10 of the 14 independent charter schools in grades 3-8 in 2006-07 with test scores for that year. Using regression models that produce the most precise estimates of 2007 achievement, their comparisons of students in their sample of independent Milwaukee charters to matched MPS students exhibit few significant effects of attending a charter school on achievement growth in either math or reading. The exception is in one of their three models for mathematics gains. When they control for prior achievement, and not for student characteristics or switching schools, students in charter schools gain approximately 0.105 standard deviations more in math achievement than students in MPS. Further analysis reveals that the positive impact of independent charter schools on average in math is concentrated primarily at the lower end of the achievement distribution; these schools were estimated to improve the math achievement of students at the 25th percentile of the achievement distribution by 0.109 standard deviations. There are no differences in any models in reading. There are differences, however, when they disaggregate the charter impacts by charter school type. Conversion independent charters, schools which converted from private schools, hold an advantage in math and reading achievement. Prior to controlling for both student characteristics and if students switched schools, students in conversion charters make 0.170 standard deviations greater gains in math achievement compared to similar students in MPS schools. Once controlling for student characteristics and school switching, the effect is reduced to 0.114 standard deviations. Similarly, in reading, students in conversion charters make 0.124 standard deviations more gains than MPS students without controlling for student characteristics and switching schools. By adding these factors the effect is reduced to 0.054 standard deviations. At the same time, students in non-conversion, independent charter schools, schools which began as new charter schools or startups, achieve gains that are no different from their counterparts in MPS. Descriptive Statistics for Variables in the Achievement Model is appended. (Contains 16 tables, 4 figures and 10 footnotes.)

In this report the authors analyze the movement of students to and from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). They also analyze student mobility between schools within each sector. The analysis rests on two separate sets of data: the administrative records the authors have collected as part of their separate analysis of academic achievement in MPCP (Witte, Wolf, Cowen, Fleming, & Lucas-McLean, 2010), and the results of an extensive set of surveys collected from parents of private and public school students. The administrative records indicate that there is more within-sector school switching in MPS, but MPCP students are more likely to move to MPS than MPS students are to move into the private-school voucher program. Racial/ethnic and gender characteristics of the various types of movers do not appear markedly different. Moving students scored lower, on average, on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) in the year prior to their move, although the authors are not able in this report to say whether students moved because of their achievement levels or because of other factors. The survey records indicate that parents of students who move are less satisfied with their child's academic experiences and are more likely to give lower overall assessments of their child's school. MPCP students are more likely to have considered a public school option at some point prior to the survey than are MPS students likely to have considered a private school. Comparison of switcher designation (from student records) and parental survey indicating a new school is appended. (Contains 13 figures, 12 tables and 14 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this report was provided by the Robertson Foundation.]

This is the third-year report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). The MPCP, which began in 1990, provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The general purposes of the evaluation are to analyze the effectiveness of the MPCP in terms of longitudinal student achievement growth and educational attainment as measured by high school graduation rates. The former will be primarily accomplished by measuring and estimating student growth in achievement as measured by the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in math and reading in 2006-07, grades 3 through 8 over a five-year period. The latter will be accomplished by following the 2006-07 8th and 9th grade cohorts over a five-year period or longer. The general research design consists of a comparison between a random sample of MPCP students and a matched sample of Milwaukee Public School (MPS) students. This third year report presents results from the November 2008 WKCE tests as second year student achievement growth in MPCP relative to the matched MPS sample. We provide varying descriptive statistics comparing test score means and distributions for math and reading for 2006-07 (baseline year) and 2008-09 (second outcome year) for each sample. The report also analyzes achievement growth using several multivariate techniques and models. The primary finding in all these comparisons is that, in general, there are few statistically significant differences between levels of MPCP and MPS student achievement growth in either math or reading two years after they were carefully matched to each other. In one of the ways of estimating these results, focusing only on those students who have remained in the public or private sector for all three years, private, voucher students are slightly behind MPS students in mathematics achievement growth. The report offers several cautions in interpreting this result against the overwhelming set of results that indicate no difference in achievement growth. Appended are additional tables and study attrition. (Contains 9 tables, 2 figures, and 7 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this project was provided by the Robertson Foundation.]

This is the second year report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This program, which began in 1990, provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The maximum voucher amount in 2007-08 was $6,607, and approximately 20,000 children use a voucher to attend either secular or religious private schools. The MPCP is the oldest and largest urban educational voucher program in the United States. This evaluation was authorized by Wisconsin Act 125 enacted in 2005. The general purposes of the evaluation are to analyze the effectiveness of the MPCP in terms of longitudinal student achievement growth and grade attainment, dropping out, and graduating from high school. The former will be primarily accomplished by measuring and estimating student growth in achievement as measured by the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in math and reading in grades three through eight over a five-year period. The latter will be accomplished by following the 2006-07J12 and ninth grade cohorts over a five-year period or longer. The general research design consists of a comparison between a random sample of MPCP students and a matched sample of Milwaukee Public School (MPS) students. Throughout the report, the authors describe a range of cautions and caveats, with the most important being that this is only the second year of a five-year study, and that student achievement trajectories often take time to change. Thus, while at the present time in terms of achievement as measured by one year of achievement growth they conclude that there is no significant difference overall between MPS students and MPCP students, this result may change in future analyses. This report and its companion reports continue a series of annual reports on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) that will be conducted by the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP). Appended are: (1) Additional Tables; and (2) Constructing the Sample for Study. (Contains 2 figures, 15 tables and 23 footnotes.) [Additional support for this report was provided by Robertson Foundation. For the "Review of "The MPCP Longitudinal Educational Growth Study Second Year Report"", see ED530058.]

This report focuses on the initial design, implementation and baseline results of the five-year Longitudinal Educational Growth Study (LEGS) of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) being conducted by the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP). The LEGS will be the first evaluation of the participant effects of the MPCP using student-level data since the initial pilot program expanded dramatically in 1995. Included in this initial report are baseline descriptions of achievement tests for a representative sample of MPCP students in grades 3 through 9, as well as outcomes for comparable samples of students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Also included are a descriptive analysis of survey results of MPCP parents and a carefully matched sample of MPS parents as well as a brief description of the results of student surveys for both samples. The first section of the baseline report discusses the construction of a sample of 2,727 MPCP students in grades 3-9. The report also discusses the selection of 2,727 similar Milwaukee Public School students. For both samples the core of this longitudinal study will be to track educational progress through school year 2011-12. The authors demonstrate that the sample of MPS students constructed by the SCDP is more similar to the representative MPCP sample along demographic and initial achievement criteria than other potential comparison groups of MPS students. Because this is a baseline report, readers should infer no causal links between participation in MPCP and test score outcomes. Five appendices are included: (1) Description of the Study Mandate; (2) Constructing the Sample for Study; (3) Data Collection Procedures and Protocols; (4) Parental Survey Tables; and (5) Student Survey Tables. (Contains 3 figures, 6 tables and 17 footnotes.) [For "Milwaukee Longitudinal School Choice Evaluation: Annual School Testing Summary Report. SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation Report #4," see ED508634. This report was also funded by the Kern, Robertson, and Walton Family foundations. ]