Visit www.mncatholiced.org for more information regarding registration, specific worshop times and offerings, hotel discounts, and the Minnesota Catholic All-State Honor Choirs.

The findings, from a leading national expert who analyzed six years of data, estimate that 3,352 additional Milwaukee students would have received diplomas between 2003 and 2008 if public school graduation rates had matched those of low-income students using educational vouchers. Based on a separate study reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Erin Richards, the annual impact from 3,352 more MPS graduates would include an additional $21.2 million in personal income and $3.6 million in extra tax revenue.

“This new study deserves the attention of state and federal officials — including President Barack Obama — who seek education reforms that produce solid results,” said Jeff Monday, principal of Milwaukee’s nationally recognized Messmer High School.

The author of the new study, University of Minnesota Professor John Robert Warren, estimated a 2008 graduation rate of 77% for school choice students and 65% for public school students. The difference — twelve percentage points — translates into an 18% higher rate for voucher students. Dr. Warren found a similar average difference for the six-year period of 2003 through 2008.

In last week’s State of the Union address, President Obama reiterated a recurring theme that he and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan have stressed: “The idea here is simple. Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform that raises student achievement.”

“If President Obama wants to fund proven school reform, I urge him to look at Milwaukee’s voucher program, which has proven to be both effective and has saved taxpayers tens of millions,” said Terry Brown, President of St. Anthony’s Catholic School. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently called St. Anthony’s “a powerhouse on the local [educational] scene.” St. Anthony’s is the largest grade school — public or private — in Milwaukee.

The higher graduation rates for students in Milwaukee’s private school choice program are noteworthy because per pupil taxpayer support for choice students ($6,442) is less than half the $14,011 spent in the Milwaukee Public Schools.

In the new study, Professor Warren explains that eligibility for the choice program is limited to students from low-income families while “students in MPS schools come from a much broader range of social and economic backgrounds.”

Recognition is growing that low graduation rates present a fundamental barrier to the future of young Americans. Congressman George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee said that “the dropout crisis we’re seeing in our nation’s high schools is real, it’s urgent, and it must be fixed.”  The New York Times’ Sam Dillon, describing a Northeastern University study, reported that “On any given day, about one in every 10 young male high school dropouts is in jail or juvenile detention, compared with one in 35 young male high school graduates…The picture is even bleaker for African-Americans.”

A full copy of Professor Warren’s report is available at: http://www.schoolchoicewi.org/currdev/detail.cfm?id=309.

Professor Warren notes that researchers at the University of Arkansas are conducting a detailed study of the choice program. He said their work might offer explanations for the higher graduation rates of choice students.

Archbishop John Nienstedt welcomed the commitment: “The Pohlad family’s quiet giving has focused on providing opportunities that help young people move out of poverty. We are grateful for the family’s recommitment to Catholic education in neighborhoods where poverty has been growing.”

The tuition assistance is to be given to two groups of Catholic schools:

A total of $900,000 will be distributed among twelve schools. All are members of a network called FOCUS (Friends of the Catholic Urban Schools). The schools began cooperating with one another in 2004 to improve teacher recruitment, training, compensation, communications, and fundraising. The schools will receive approximately $750 for each student currently enrolled who is eligible to receive free-or-reduced-cost hot lunch services, a widely recognized measure of family poverty. The schools in this group include: Risen Christ, Pope John Paul II, Ascension, and San Miguel in Minneapolis; Saint Agnes, Saint Matthew, Saint Francis/Saint James; and Saint Peter Claver in Saint Paul. Four first-ring suburban schools are also involved: Saint Raphael in Crystal; Saint Michael in West Saint Paul; Blessed Trinity in Richfield; and Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale.

Pohlad Family Foundation board member Robert Pohlad commented: “A strong education opens many doors and is the way out of poverty. My family appreciates the efforts of these schools to reach out to children and families who are working toward a better future. My brothers and I thank FOCUS-member schools for their decision to work together to improve the teaching and learning occurring in their buildings.”

The remaining $100,000 will be given as challenge grants to seven other Catholic schools. Each of these schools has at least 20% of their student population that is eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch. The schools are scattered around the Twin Cities: Saint Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center; Saint Jerome in Maplewood; Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Maternity of Mary in Saint Paul; Saint Helena in Minneapolis; Saint John Vianney in South Saint Paul; and Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery. Each school will be challenged to raise a proportional share of $50,000 by Easter, 2010 to be eligible for a two-for-one matching gift.

The Student Edition is a publication that offers young people a wealth of information about our state, our government and elected officials. This most recent edition is a resource of facts and statistics about Minnesota and includes official state symbols, historic documents, and a guide to good citizenship.

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Washington, DC – Arizona’s Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit Program is constitutional, the Arizona Supreme Court indicated in a decision yesterday. The Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice applauded the Arizona Supreme Court’s action, which denied a request to hear an appeal of the March 2009 decision in Green v Garriott—a decision that upheld the program’s constitutionality. The scholarship tax credit program provides increased educational opportunities to 1,947 disadvantaged children throughout the Grand Canyon State.www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org

Green v Garriott was originally filed in September of 2006 by the Arizona School Boards Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This action by the state Supreme Court marks the end of a long legal battle and demonstrates a clear victory for school choice in Arizona,” said Betsy DeVos, Chairman of the Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice.  “Most importantly, this decision is a victory for low-income children in Arizona and for parents who seek to choose the best schools for their children.”

Yesterday’s decision marks the second time that the state’s highest court has affirmed that the corporate school tuition organization tax credit is constitutional.

The Institute for Justice successfully defended the program on behalf of the Arizona School Choice Trust, a nonprofit school tuition organization (STO) that receives contributions to fund private school scholarships for low-income children.

More than 16 STOs are operating under the Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit, and 156 schools accept students who receive scholarships from the program.

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The Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice work to promote public policy advancing school choice and education reform in numerous states throughout the country, as well as in the District of Columbia. For more information, visit

The exclusion of private schools from this program is a huge disappointment.  Dr. Pete Noll has sent a letter of comment in response to the forthcoming notice in the Federal Register.  Others within the private school community might consider doing the same.

More information about the Investing in Innovation Fund is available as follows:

Pre-release of Federal Register Notice

PowerPoint Presentation

Fact Sheet

News Release

The Third Annual Midwest Catholic Conference Education Meeting took place July 9-10, 2009 at the Michigan Catholic Conference offices in Lansing, Michigan.  In attendance were 23 participants, presenters and guests who discussed a wide range of topics including early childhood learning, charter schools, parental choice in education, special education and marketing strategies. Representing the Minnesota Catholic Conference was Pete Noll, Education Director. Catapult Learning, Mindstreams/A+ Educators, ACE Consulting at the University of Notre Dame and The Friedman Foundation sponsored events and provided participants with valuable updates on services and programs.

Anthony Picarello, USCCB General Counsel participated in the meeting via videoconference and provided information on recent court cases of interest to attendees.

The Friedman Foundation highlighted its promotion of school choice in general terms before focusing on the recent success of a tax scholarship program in Indiana.

The first such meeting was hosted by the Minnesota Catholic Conference in December 2006.  A planning committee has been formed to organize the summer 2010 meeting.