I can't get the format of the thing clear, so just visit the site.MILWAUKEE (AP) — Supporters of a Milwaukee school-voucher program said Tuesday they weren't deterred by test results showing that kids in those programs perform worse than students in public schools.
The results, released by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, showed that voucher students are nowhere near their public school counterparts — even in the Milwaukee public schools they left.
The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations tests were given to 430,000 students in third through eighth grade and 10th grade last fall. This is the first year that voucher students, about 10,600 kids, also took the tests. Supporters criticized the results, saying the test gave a single snapshot instead of a more meaningful comparison over time.
The test results showed that for all grades, 34.4 percent of voucher students were proficient or advanced in math compared to Milwaukee public schools' 47.8 percent average and the 43.9 percent average for low-income Milwaukee public schools students. Statewide, 77.2 percent of public school students scored proficient or advanced in math.
Should the program be extended despite these results? Should there be a breather and look at the flaws of the program and the reason for these poor results? Would the money be better spent in improving public schools?
Or just keep trucking since it's popular with your base?