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NEPC Review: 'Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024' (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, March 2025)

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Title: NEPC Review: 'Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024' (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, March 2025)
Language: English
Authors: Benjamin R. Shear, University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center (NEPC)
Source: National Education Policy Center. 2025.
Availability: National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Opinion Papers
Education Level: Elementary Education
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Public Schools, Private Schools, Charter Schools, Expenditure per Student, Program Effectiveness, Scores, Cost Effectiveness, Data Analysis, Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools, Statistical Analysis, Research Reports, Review (Reexamination)
Geographic Terms: Wisconsin, Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
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.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED677374
Database: ERIC
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  Data: NEPC Review: 'Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024' (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, March 2025)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Benjamin+R%2E+Shear%22">Benjamin R. Shear</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22University+of+Colorado+at+Boulder%2C+National+Education+Policy+Center+%28NEPC%29%22">University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center (NEPC)</searchLink>
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  Data: National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Schools%22">Public Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Private+Schools%22">Private Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Charter+Schools%22">Charter Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expenditure+per+Student%22">Expenditure per Student</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scores%22">Scores</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cost+Effectiveness%22">Cost Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+Analysis%22">Data Analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Schools%22">Elementary Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+Schools%22">Secondary Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+Analysis%22">Statistical Analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Reports%22">Research Reports</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Review+%28Reexamination%29%22">Review (Reexamination)</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wisconsin%22">Wisconsin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wisconsin+%28Milwaukee%29%22">Wisconsin (Milwaukee)</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: 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.
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 16
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Public Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Private Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Charter Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Expenditure per Student
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      – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness
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      – SubjectFull: Scores
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      – SubjectFull: Cost Effectiveness
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      – SubjectFull: Data Analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Elementary Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical Analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research Reports
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      – SubjectFull: Review (Reexamination)
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      – SubjectFull: Wisconsin
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      – SubjectFull: Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: NEPC Review: 'Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024' (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, March 2025)
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