Essay Education
Topic: Milwaukee Public Schools: Record-Breaking Achievement in a Large, Urban School District
Style: APA
Achievement of Milwaukee Public Schools
Achievement and performance have been critical components of education, particularly in public schools in the United States. The 16th largest school district in the U.S is formed by the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Being a large district with many students from diverse races and economically threatened backgrounds, Milwaukee has been able to register a record-breaking achievement. Improvement in writing, reading, mathematics, and science has been realized in different levels of schools (Schmoker, 2001). Most of the institutions have also accomplished the ambitious, long-term board goals for MPS. The Milwaukee school district accomplished this by enhancing student performance in class and incorporating other strategies for teachers and instructors.
Data-drive seminars were introduced to help teachers and administrators of the schools to teach better. Doug Reeves initiated the seminars with the aim of training instructors and administrators to analyze achievable data and set improvement measures (Schmoker, 2001). The principal of each school had to attend together with the appointed teachers. With time, the teachers were able to adapt to the system changes and showed great support for it. They also advocated for the system since it brought great improvement in their teaching practice.
Additionally, McElhatton, who was a trainee of Reeves, started the practice of examining annual test results in all the MPS. The formats of the reports discouraged the practitioners and administration from evaluating them. McElhatton provided data packets to teachers, which were used in the analysis of the annual test results at the set time. The process allowed accountability for teachers and encouraged longitudinal success in areas tested by the MPS School Accountability Plan (Schmoker, 2001). As a result, the teachers were able to do the yearly improvement planning in areas of difficulty.
In addition, the MPS was able to highlight specific areas of achievement. The data packets contained a Treasure Hunt in which a specific segment required the teachers to identify an area where students’ performance may be improved by ten percent in order to pass the section (Schmoker, 2001). They would eventually identify the variables that contributed to the poor performance in that one area and not in the others. The teachers were able to use this information to develop ways to improve student performance as a result of this. The success would be recognized, and the stories would be printed on some slides that were included in the packet as part of the celebration. This motivated teachers to improve their abilities so that they can have a positive impact on their students’ achievement.
In order to attain the MPS, it is necessary to understand and use principles such as goal planning and teamwork enhancement. The MPS established objectives for themselves in terms of the study of performance data (Schmoker, 2001). Students and instructors were instructed on the process of defining goals during the data seminars, where they were asked to respond to specific questions that would serve as a guide for the teachers and administrators. The MPS attempted to develop goals that were explicit, quantifiable, effective, and attainable for all participants. Because of this, the schools were able to meet their objectives.
Correspondingly, teachers were encouraged to work as a team to be able to achieve the goals. Specific set targets determine the effort and productivity of the concerned parties. The schools, therefore, established teachers’ teams. Various teams from different schools; high-achieving and low-achieving, met regularly to share their expertise and exchange ideas (Schmoker, 2001). This helped the teachers to adopt new methods from their partners and implement them to improve the performance of the low-performing students. As a result, the teachers were empowered and this helped in improving their productivity thus contributing to the set goals.
Students’ performance was critical in the record-breaking of the MPS. Various strategies and techniques were applied. First, the students were categorized into small groups so that teachers could be able to deal with their educational needs effectively. The low-achieving scholars were strategically grouped so that each group could at least have one teacher (Schmoker, 2001). The special education staff was also involved in improving the reading and writing skills for the low-performers. They were also provided with enough space and resources in the schools for practice. This enhanced student’s personal study methods. Consequently, there was high improvement in low-achievers and elevated performance for the overall scholars.
Moreover, the schools received grant funds which facilitated tutoring for 1,500 students in the initial year and up to 20,000 scholars in the following years. The neighborhood schools provided the tutoring services and summer schools to allow students who had a complex school schedule (Schmoker, 2001). The attendance increased with time and this led to the opening of the schools in the evenings from 6-9 pm to allow the students to learn. This was aimed to reduce the learning challenges that students face. As a result, the learners were able to attend classes conveniently, thus enhancing their achievement.
In a nutshell, the MPS laid down a strategic plan to realize the great achievement. First, the system focused on improving the productivity of the teachers and administrators of the schools by establishing data-driven seminars, analysis of annual test results, and celebrating the smallest success made. Second, the students were also empowered so that their performance could contribute to the accomplishment of the school. They were facilitated with tutoring services, classes that would accommodate their schedules, and organization into groups which enhanced high interaction with the teachers. As a result, most of them were able to improve their reading and writing skills as well as mathematics and science.
References
Schmoker, M. (2001). The Results Fieldbook: Practical Strategies from Dramatically Improved Schools. Virginia.
