Periodic and sadly still needed warning: Far from a “lifeline” for at-risk families, school vouchers have caused some of the worst academic losses on record in underserved communities. Vouchers are education's version of predatory lending. #Project2025 👇

The first modern school voucher program began in Milwaukee in 1990. 34 years later as the city hosts #RNC2024 and vouchers headline the #Project2025 education agenda: Let’s check in on the Milwaukee results thus far👇 *The last year to show positive results for voucher users was 1993, during the program’s pilot phase. *After program expansion, nearly 8/10 voucher users were already in private school—a preview of similar data in other states today. *More recently: voucher users exit at rates of 20-25% a year, are more likely students of color and lower scoring—but do better once enrolling in city public schools. *When WI began requiring voucher schools to follow the same oversight rules as public schools, voucher results improved 🤔 *Some suggestive data indicate public “competitive” effects—but the city system as a whole has never gained ground since a “rising tide for all boats” was promised. *Other “studies” of Milwaukee voucher data on non-academic outcomes are poorly designed and done by DeVos and/or Bradley-backed think tanks. *The US investigated several flagship schools in the Milwaukee voucher system for discriminating against students with special needs. The inquiry closed with a non-finding. *Today’s descendent of the first Milwaukee voucher system is rife with discrimination toward students with disabilities and 🏳️‍🌈 families👇 rb.gy/10f409