If you’re new here, I should tell you that I’m a fan of writing about Milwaukee Public Schools. Not a fan of MPS, but a fan of writing about it. There’s just so much material to work with!
We’ve got one of the worst school districts in the nation, hands down. The district spends over $14,000 per child per school year, but the children still can’t read, add, or subtract. (And no, the poor performance isn’t due to the fact that MPS is an “urban” district. Nor is it a result of “not having enough money.”)
The latest “news” out of MPS is that the children still can’t read. The headline of the story emphasizes that graduation rates are up. (18% higher than 10 years ago – woo hoo!) But the numbers are disputed. MPS says 70% of students are graduating. An outside, independent source says they’re calculating it wrong and the real number is 60%.
But this is priceless: 60% of 10th graders can’t read and 70% aren’t proficient in math and science. So whether 60% or 70% are graduating doesn’t matter, because a large number of those students can’t read!!! (Depending on how you look at the numbers, a minimum of 20% to 30% of graduates can’t read… probably more.) That’s right… MPS is awarding diplomas to students who can’t read. What an accomplishment.
And here’s another nice piece of trivia: 81% of MPS students who go on to enroll at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee need remedial classes. (And the district has a “goal” of reducing that number to 69% needing remedial classes. Talk about setting your sights high!)
So what’s the bottom line? MPS still sucks, but they’re spending a million dollars to have consultants tell them so.
Of course MPS sucks, but I am a student of MPS. My latest report card I got a 4.0, and advance in reading and math. Just putting it out there that some of MPS students are total dumbasses.
Well I am a student of MPS. My latest report card I had a 4.0, and advance in every subject as far as I know. The reason why im saying this is because I want people to know that all MPS students aren’t dumb. The 20%-30% are 3.0-4.0 students and it isn’t the teachers. The students just really can’t learn since they are always so into their hair e.t.c e.t.c. You should go to an MPS school and see the children. Then you’ll understand.
[…] Every time we turn around, a politician is looking for new ways to tax us and worse ways to spend that money. Somehow, Milwaukee politicians seem to think they’re entitled to take as much money from us as they want. (But then they cry when businesses don’t open in Milwaukee, providing jobs for the residents…) There are constant cries that the government just doesn’t have enough money to do what it NEEDS to do. That argument is slapped down time and again with proof like this… the fact that the public school system spends over $14,000 per child and they still can’t read. […]
I’m an MPS student. I can read, write and do math pretty good. I carry a 3.0. Not all students at MPS are horrible.
[…] have ranted at length in the past about MPS, its failure to educate students, its highly compensated teachers, and wide scale waste of resources. Despite sky-high spending per […]