The achievement gap between southeastern Wisconsin schools and those in the rest of the state has widened in all subjects and at all grade levels from 2006. Although school spending is above the state average in the region, and removing the Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha public school districts from the equation currently improves overall…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has set a bar that determines the level at which students are expected to achieve, and schools and school districts are measured, not against each other, but on whether or not they meet the standard set by the law. Following the 2002-2003 school year, 60 schools in Southeastern Wisconsin school…

Public schools can be considered a form of workforce development, and thus it is important to measure the "work product" of the schools. The Public Policy Forum's annual analysis of public schools in the 50 districts serving southeastern Wisconsin measured absenteeism as educational opportunities lost because children were not in class.…

Wisconsin's Open Enrollment program, which policymakers hope will improve educational performance by introducing competition to public schools, allows students to enroll in any district in the state, provided space is available. First implemented in the 1998-1999 school year, the program now includes 1% of all Wisconsin K-12 students. In its first…