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Bringing a new ‘Opportunity’ to improve Milwaukee student achievement
Posted: 10/21/2009 10:01:00 AM
 | Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association President Mike Langyel, NAACP Milwaukee Branch President Jerry Ann Hamilton, Milwaukee teacher Rozalia Harris, and Milwaukee parent Teresa Thomas-Boyd speak at a news conference introducing the Milwaukee Opportunity Plan. |
Education reform is about providing opportunities for students, families and community members – that’s the heart of the Milwaukee Opportunity Plan, a new proposal to bring innovative education ideas to Milwaukee Public Schools that not only will benefit MPS, but schools across the state.
The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association and the Wisconsin Education Association Council worked closely together to present on Wednesday (October 21) the Milwaukee Opportunity Plan, a strategy to bring together all of the stakeholders who make up the MPS community to bring new changes and lasting impacts for students.
The plan calls for innovative ideas such as Opportunity Centers, schools where these strategies could be demonstrated. As the strategies prove effective, they can be implemented in other schools in need of improvement in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin.
The Milwaukee Opportunity Plan also calls for lengthening the school day/year, reducing class sizes so they are comparable to those across the rest of our state, and establishing methods to provide intervention and more individualized attention at the 9th grade level (when many students drop out of school).
The Milwaukee Opportunity Plan emphasizes input from everyone who has a stake in MPS. The people working on the frontlines of Milwaukee’s public schools – our union of educators – believe that meaningful change can only be accomplished when key stakeholders work together, including the state, Milwaukee Public Schools leadership, our union of educators, district and school administrators, professional associations, families, city and county leaders, and community and business leaders. There’s no one person or one idea that will bring about lasting improvements.
Driven by a common goal – student and community success – this plan outlines bold ideas for further discussion and dialogue. With potential federal Race to the Top grants serving as a catalyst for change and a source of start-up funding to implement the plan, the time to act on our Milwaukee Opportunity Plan is now.
Follow this link to the Milwaukee Opportunity Plan Web page for more information.
