Milwaukee Students Score 'Surprisingly High' Considering School Challenges

Study factors in outside influences

Considering the difficult social challenges they face, Milwaukee public school students score "surprisingly high" on standardized reading and mathematics tests, according to a new study.

The study compares Milwaukee test results with those from 10 other cities with similar size and ethnic makeup. Of the 11 cities, Milwaukee ranked 10th in terms of adult education levels and 11th in per-capita income and had the second-highest child poverty rate.

Yet, Milwaukee schools have a lower dropout rate and higher test scores than most comparison cities, according to the study by Washington, D.C.,-based researcher Gerald W. Bracey. The study was conducted for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Education Research, Analysis and Innovation, headed by Professor Alex Molnar.

The study uses the most recent available test data, from 1993-94, and demographic data from the 1990 Census. The test data show Milwaukee students performing at the 38th percentile in reading and 47th percentile in math. The national norm for a standardized test is the 50th percentile.

"While this performance is certainly not one to induce complacency, in view of the high poverty and low education levels of Milwaukee adults, and in view of the test scores of similar cities, the performance is surprisingly high," Bracey wrote. "While Milwaukee students score below the national norm in reading, they are extremely close to it in math. While there is clearly room for improvement, it would be misleading to characterize Milwaukee as a 'failing system.' "

Sam Carmen, executive director of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, was not surprised by the study's conclusions.

"Although Milwaukee students do not score as high as students in wealthier parts of Wisconsin," he said, "this report shows that they are doing better than other cities which are under the same difficult external forces."

The comparison cities are Boston, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Columbus, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Kansas City (Mo.), Nashville, Sacramento, and Duval County (Fla.), which is the Jacksonville area.