Ashley Jochim and Michael Q. McShane:
When the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program launched in 1990, it became the standard bearer for the school choice movement. Advocates expected it to fulfill Milton Friedman’s vision of shrinking the government’s role in K–12 education and expanding that of parents. The voucher program revitalized some private schools, led to the creation of others, and expanded competition citywide. But 35 years later, Milwaukee’s public and private school students alike still struggle with their academic performance. What happened? Did an initially laissez-faire approach to regulation permit too many low-quality schools to proliferate? Or have policymakers’ attempts to rein in the marketplace stifled entrepreneurial energies? With private-education choice programs on the march nationally, what lessons can reformers take from Cream City?
To tackle these questions, Education Next welcomes two scholars who offer divergent diagnoses of the voucher program’s struggles—and their implications. Ashley Jochim, a researcher and consultant for the Center on Reinventing Public Education, argues that inadequate regulation of private-school choice options undermined the Milwaukee voucher program’s effectiveness. Mike McShane, director of national research at EdChoice, posits that a shortage of good private schools has prevented the program from reaching its potential.