The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel runs an extensive series of articles on school choice, beginning today. Milwaukee is of course Ground Zero in the nation’s school-choice battle–the home to its first and most vigorous program. How it fares there, as well as how it’s perceived, is critically important to the future of this reform.

I would like to have seen some conclusions on academic performance, but on the whole the major points in today’s article seem fair and balanced:

• The voucher schools feel, and look, surprisingly like schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools district. Both MPS and the voucher schools are struggling in the same battle to educate low-income, minority students.
• About 10% of the choice schools demonstrate alarming deficiencies. The collapse of four schools and the state’s limited ability to take action against others have led to some agreement on the need for increased oversight to help shut down bad schools.
• The voucher program has brought some fresh energy to the mission of educating low-income youth in the city by fostering and financially supporting several very strong schools that might not exist otherwise. There are at least as many excellent schools as alarming ones.
• The amount of taxpayer money going to pay for religious education in Milwaukee has no parallel in the last century of American life. About 70% of the students in the program attend religious schools. Religion guides the choices that parents make, and the curriculum that a majority of schools choose, and has led to a network of dozens of independent church schools led by African-American ministers throughout the city.
• The choice program regenerated parochial schools in the city, including dozens of Catholic and Lutheran schools, which were experiencing declining enrollment. Overall, it has preserved the status quo in terms of schooling options in the city more than it has offered a range of new, innovative or distinctive schools.
• Parental choice by itself does not assure quality. Some parents pick bad schools – and keep their children in them long after it is clear the schools are failing. This has allowed some of the weakest schools in the program to remain in business.
• There is no evidence that voucher schools have “creamed” the best students from Milwaukee Public Schools, an early concern expressed by some critics. Except for the fact that the public schools are obligated to serve all special education students, the kids in the voucher program appear have the same backgrounds – and bring the same problems – as those in the public schools.
• Creating a new school through the choice program is easier than most people expected. Creating a good new school is harder than most thought it would be.