Critiques the criticism leveled at Milwaukee's (Wisconsin) four-year-old Parental Choice Program, a program designed to open private school choice through a voucher program. It discusses John Witte's reports which criticize the program and how these reports are flawed and inaccurate depictions of the program's progress and impact. (GLR)

Examines two goals of anti-poverty programs beyond reducing the number of people in income poverty and increasing public expenditures disproportionately benefiting the poor: that inequality of income should be substantially narrowed, and that benefits for the poor must meet their needs. (Author/JM)

Uses Milwaukee's school choice/voucher initiative to illustrate how politically motivated evaluation and compromise legislation can dilute potentially beneficial educational innovations. The initiative's success despite counterproductive legislative tampering and biased evaluation is addressed, along with a discussion of the evaluation's…