Patrick Wolf Educational Freedom Presentation at De La Salle High School

As part of National School Choice Week 2013 (January 27 – February 2) the Minnesota Catholic Conference, in association with other members of the Minnesota School Choice Coalition, hosted Prof. Patrick Wolf of the University of Arkansas for a series of programs making the clear-cut case for educational freedom in general and vouchers in particular.

Prof. Wolf gave a presentation on Thursday, January 31 at a community breakfast graciously hosted by DeLaSalle High School.  Here are just two findings based on rigorous, peer-reviewed research:

• The Milwaukee voucher program increases high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, and college persistence by 4 to 7 percentage points.
• The Washington, DC Scholarship program has boosted high school graduation rates by 21 percentage points.

Since high graduation rates and college persistence in these communities are low to begin with, increases of 4 ,7, and 21 percentage points are really much larger improvements than they might appear.

Professor Wolf, who’s a native of St. Cloud and did his undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas and his doctorate at Harvard, also met with editorial writers at the Star Tribune; leaders of three major Minnesota education reform organizations, Generation Next, MinnCan, and StudentsFirst Minnesota; and, finishing off what was a very full day, with about 15 legislators at the Capitol in St. Paul.

View his presentation here:

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