This study examines the impacts of two distinct types of school spending on student outcomes. State-imposed revenue limits cap the total amount of revenue that a school district in Wisconsin can raise unless the district holds a referendum asking voters to exceed the cap. Importantly, Wisconsin law requires districts to hold separate referenda for…

While educators have long argued that when local schools are successful, local communities benefit; there's now clear evidence that is the case. A new report, "The Economic Benefits from Halving the Dropout Rate: A Boom to Businesses in the Nation's Largest Metropolitan Areas," released in January by the Alliance for Excellent Education…

For 24 consecutive years, the Public Policy Forum has compiled and analyzed data from southeastern Wisconsin's public school districts in order to better inform policymakers and the public about the effectiveness of the region's K-12 education system. This analysis of the 2009-10 academic year, like many of the previous reports, indicates cause…

This study examined the relationship between educational achievement and ethnicity as related to enrollment patterns of Wisconsin high school and college students. The purpose of the study was to identify the points at which minority students leave the educational system. The data utilized for the study were the enrollment data for 1973-74 and…

This is the 12th annual report on conditions affecting the Racine Unified School District (RUSD). This year, the analysis again focuses on the long-term historical trends in RUSD. The analysis compares RUSD data to data of nine peer school districts as well as statewide data. The peer districts are defined as those Wisconsin districts with…

A study was conducted to identify the significant factors of student attrition in Wisconsin's postsecondary vocational, technical, and adult education system to determine predictability, and to indicate areas for improvement of retention measures. Survey instruments were developed to gather data from 121 non-completers and instructors. A third…

Objective: The authors report the adaptive functioning of hyperactive and control children in southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee) followed to young adulthood. Method: Interviews with participants concerning major life activities were collected between 1992 and 1996 and used along with employer ratings and high school records at the young adult…

A project was designed to develop and test (phase I), and implement (phase II) a research design for the study of student attrition in the Wisconsin vocational technical adult education (VTAE) system with the intent of identifying student attrition and determining its predictability. Phase I, the developmental aspect (described in this report),…

Objectives of phase II of a study were (1) to run a pilot program to predict potential dropouts and assist them to overcome obstacles which might cause them to leave school and (2) to establish a system to immediately obtain needed information from dropouts. An instrument to identify potential dropouts was selected and students were divided into…