New Collections on School Choice

October 2008--The Libraries’ Department of Special Collections and Archives  announces availability of five collections related to the parental choice movement in education.  Researchers will find complete descriptions and finding aids for the the newly processed archival collections at the Web links following.

The Virgil C. Blum, S.J., Papers document the activities of Rev. Blum (1913-1990), a Marquette University political scientist and educational reformer who helped establish Citizens for Educational Freedom (CEF), an interest group that lobbied for equal distribution of public funds to students in non-public schools.  CEF established chapters in several states, and the records of the Wisconsin Federation of CEF (1961-1978) form a separate collection within Archives.

The papers of economist Peter L. Danner (1921-2008) also provide valuable information on school choice in Wisconsin, particularly from the Catholic perspective. Danner was active in Partners Advancing Values In Education (PAVE), a Milwaukee-based organization with Catholic roots that played a significant role in the struggle over the city’s Parental Choice Program in the 1990s.

The archives has processed the records of the Virgil C. Blum, S.J., Center for Parental Freedom in Education.  Directed by Quentin L. Quade from 1992-1999, the Blum Center served as a clearinghouse of information and advice for devising and implementing choice programs.  Although the Blum Center was especially involved in Wisconsin’s school choice movement, it also advised reformers in other states, and its records provide valuable information on parental choice efforts throughout the nation. 

Additional material on the school choice movement in Wisconsin can be found in the Tommy G. Thompson Collection, donated by the former Wisconsin governor who championed school choice during his four terms in office (1987-2001).

Questions about the school choice collections may be
addressed to archivist Bill Fliss at 414-288-5906.