The Failure of Accountability in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

In this chapter we argue that the failure of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) to substantively improve aggregate academic achievement levels for Milwaukee K–12 pupils is a result of the absence of a democratic mechanism by which local voters can hold MPCP schools accountable. The lack of local electoral accountability prevented the MPCP from being a legitimate part of the city’s education infrastructure, resulting in an inevitable policy failure. Specifically, we summarize the conditions that led to the creation of the Milwaukee voucher program, explain its governance structure, synthesize the results of 26 years of academic research and commentary on the MPCP, and present possible solutions to address Milwaukee’s policy failure.