96_02_15

To the Honorable, the Assembly:

Section 165.90, Wisconsin Statutes, requires that you receive an annual report on the progress of the county-tribal law enforcement programs which are funded under this section. Please accept this letter as the report for 1995.

Since 1990, counties and tribes have used these grants to provide law enforcement services on tribal lands. Grants have also been used to support many worthwhile activities including anti-drug and anti-violence community workshops, neighborhood watch programs, youth activities, and joint county-tribal law enforcement committees.

During the fall of 1995, the county-tribal law enforcement coordinator in the Department of Justice concluded field reviews of each county which participates in the county-tribal law enforcement program.

Findings of 1995 Field Reviews

The county-tribal law enforcement program coordinator conducted on-site reviews of the 15 programs funded under s. 165.90, Stats., during September and October of 1995.

A842 In general, the county-tribal law enforcement programs are working well. Several counties have established or have plans to establish joint county-tribal law enforcement committees which will meet on a regular basis. These committees provide a free flow of information between the county and the tribe on the needs of the Indian community as well as the resources which are available to the sheriff's department to help meet those needs. The committees have also successfully produced neighborhood watch programs and established community workshops on issues such as substance abuse prevention and crime prevention.

Some tribal police departments assist the sheriff's department by providing most of the law enforcement services for a significant geographical area of the county. In such cases, sheriffs have turned to the trained, certified officers of the tribal police department to police communities that are more difficult to reach for sheriff's deputies.

Some county and tribal police departments are dealing with increased criminal activity caused by the return of individuals from urban centers to tribal lands. Some of these returnees bring with them urban problems which have not previously been dealt with in the rural communities of northern and western Wisconsin. This has placed an increased burden on the law enforcement agencies in those areas.

The Department of Justice will continue to monitor these programs for achievement of cooperative program objectives and goals, in accordance with in s. 165.90, Stats.

The Department of Justice is committed to making this program a successful collaboration between Indian nations and counties. DOJ will continue to monitor the compliance and achievement of these cooperative programs to ensure that valuable law enforcement services are provided to tribal lands.

Sincerely,

James E. Doyle

Attorney General

Referred to committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections.

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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison

January 29, 1996

To the Honorable, the Assembly:

As required by s. 119.23, Wis. State., enclosed for distribution to the appropriate standing committees is the fifth-year report on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Authored by John Witte, professor with The Robert M. La Follette Institute of Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the report is a balanced, independent review of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. The fifth-year report is an abbreviated version of earlier reports.

The report features a description of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, a description of choice families and students, a five-year report on outcomes, and a brief response to some of the criticisms of previous reports. It does not contain any information on the 1995-96 school year.

Among the findings of the report are the following:

• The program accomplishes its intent of making alternative school choices available to low-income families in Milwaukee. Choice parents had a slightly lower income than low-income MPS parents in the first four years of the program. Incomes of 1994 choice families increased to an average of $14,210.

• The leading reasons given for participating in the choice program were the perceived educational quality and the teaching approach and style in the private schools. That was followed by the disciplinary environment and the general atmosphere that parents associate with choice schools.

• Choice parents were significantly more involved in the prior public school education of their children than MPS parents and continued to be more involved in their child's education at choice schools than MPS parents. Parental satisfaction with choice schools increased significantly over satisfaction with their prior public school.

• Despite their economic status, choice parents reported higher education levels than either low-income or average MPS parents. Choice mothers were more educated than MPS mothers, which should have produced higher scores for choice students but did not.

• Reading scores for choice students essentially remained the same over the past three years. In 1995, there was a 1.5 drop in the Normal Curve Equivalent math scores. Regression results, using a wide range of modeling approaches, generally indicated that choice and public school students where not much different. If there was a difference, MPS students did somewhat better in reading.

• The attrition rate, which was initially very high, is on a downward trend. Excluding students in alternative programs, the attrition rate from choice schools was 44 percent in the first year, 32 percent in the second year, 28 percent in the third year, 23 percent in the fourth year, and 24 percent in the fifth year. Attrition rates are higher with alternative schools and included 46 percent, 35 percent, 31 percent, 27 percent, and 28 percent. Reasons given for leaving were primarily for family-specific reasons, including moving. Other respondents to follow-up questions about attrition were critical of some aspect of the choice program or private schools.

• Pupil attendance in the choice schools is high but only slightly higher than MPS. Attendance by choice students (excluding alternative schools) averaged 94 percent in 1990-91, 92 percent in 1991-92, 92.5 percent in 1992-93, 93 percent in 1993-94, and 92 percent in 1994-95. Average attendance in MPS elementary schools in the last three years has been 92 percent. Attendance at middle schools for the same years averaged 89 percent, 88 percent, and 89 percent.

A843 • The conclusions and recommendations in the report are no different than those offered in previous years. Based upon surveys of parents, the majority of students and families involved in the choice program report they are better off. This feeling is expressed despite the fact that achievement, as measured by standardized tests, was no different than the achievement of MPS students. The attrition rate and factors affecting attrition indicate that not all students will succeed in choice schools, but the majority remain and applaud the program.

I believe this report provides continuing evidence that, while the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program provides an option for low-income parents who have been dissatisfied with the educational alternatives available for their children, it has not demonstrated the dramatic academic improvements in student achievement that would label it a success. The experiment should continue on a limited basis and provide for continuing evaluation. That evaluation should provide more outcome data that includes, but is not limited to, standardized test scores. Choice school program requirements should be changed to require comparable test-score data with the Milwaukee Public Schools, which administers tests required under the Wisconsin Student Assessment System.

Along with the recommendation for continuing the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program on a limited basis, I caution legislators and other policymakers to realize that the program does not deal directly or substantially with the challenges the Milwaukee Public Schools ace such as the high rate of poverty among students, a high dropout rate, large class sizes, and inadequate facilities especially for early childhood programming. The recently enacted biennial budget included funds for the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) initiative, which was based on recommendations from the Department of Public Instruction's Urban Initiative Task Force. The SAGE initiative, while offered to districts throughout the state with at least one school with a high incidence of poverty, is targeted to assist 10 schools in Milwaukee. Components of the SAGE initiative, which includes smaller class sizes, were founded on research that demonstrates improved academic achievement. The SAGE program will be extensively evaluated.

For additional information about the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, please contact Sally Sarnstrom at [phone] or Roger Sunby at [phone].

Sincerely,

John T. Benson

State Superintendent, DPI

Referred to committee on Urban Education.

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State of Wisconsin
Department of Corrections
Madison

January 30, 1996

To the Honorable, the Assembly:

The following information is provided for your consideration and review pursuant to s. 301.03(6m) Wi. Stats. The figures below cover the period from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 1995.

1. There were 27 inmates transferred involuntarily from a prison to a mental health institute under 51.20(13)(A)4. All but 3 were committed for outpatient treatment. Of the 3 committed for inpatient treatment, 1 remained for 10 months and the length of stay for two is not known since commitment was at the end of the sentence.

No inmates transferred voluntarily from a prison to a mental health institute.

2. 2088 inmates underwent voluntary treatment with psychotropic drugs. 27 inmates were treated with psychotropic drugs on a involuntary basis.

The types of medication used include antipsychotic drugs, antidepressant drugs, antianxiety drugs, mood stabilizers, anti-parkinsonian medications, and medication for side effects.

3. Mental Health Services, both psychiatric and psychological, are available at all of the major institutions. Services include chemotherapy, group and individual therapy, psychological, psychiatric, and neuropsychological evaluations, crisis intervention, sex offender groups, anger management groups, and domestic abuse groups.

Inmates who need more intensive mental health services are transferred to the Special Management Unit at Columbia Correctional Institution, the Wisconsin Resource Center, or one of the Mental Health Institutes.

If you need any additional information, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Sullivan

Secretary, DOC

Referred to committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections.