What are the issues with milwaukee public schools?

[kmatzkan]

Most of the problems in MPS stem from the parents. The parents are sometimes very young, very immature, very entitled and have a hostile world view. This is exacerbated in the children, who grow up untrusting, unloved, unstructured, and never (I rarely use the word never - but I taught in MPS, and these kids are incredibly broken) with a chance to see any good role models, just parents/brothers/relatives on welfare, in-and-out of jail, disrespectful, and without manners.

I was shocked on my first day of teaching. The way the kids treated me was unheard of. Calling me nasty names, threatening me, not listening to anything I say. I was just trying to be nice above all else. Poor kids won't stand a chance in the real world trying to hold a job or even a conversation. I see why they turn to crime; No one would hire them, they have no skills, and they just do not know better.

MPS does have internal problems in administration. I will leave my personal opinions out of this one, other than saying that there is extreme incompetence in administration.

MPS teachers refer a kid for bad behavior - and the principal sends them right back to the class. Most students only get suspended for very serious behavior, such as fights with blood, and weapons. Not for bullying, cursing or threatening staff, or many other serious problems. Accountability is unheard of in the actions of students. Sadly, the students rarely learn that, and end up dead, in jail, drop out, or pregnant to start the cycle all over again.

I worked with extremely abusive students that told me they wanted to be Doctors (I had to tell them Dr. Dre really is not a doctor) or lawyers, or the president. Pretty lofty goals. Obviously unattainable by most students, even ones with good role models.

It is a sad situation, and until parents are somehow held accountable and start loving their children and making better parenting choices, it will only continue to be sad.

[BrendanRabbitt]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

The biggest problem I see for an outsiders viewpoint is that the school board and the leaders in Milwaukee haven't fixed this problem since it started and don't seem to be in a huge hurry to do anything which is a shame for the kids that are stuck in the bad MPS schools.

Just out of curiousity; which is the worst HS in Milwaukee? I thought'd it'd be Custer or SD
by the way; can you help me with my question of MPS?

[rozesofsharon]

Teaching in the inner-city, my eyes were widely opened. A student who was falling asleep - why? Because his bedroom window was on the first floor of a drug house and "clients" stepped on him as they entered the house all night long. Two sisters who were consistently late for school despite many interventions. Principal and I went to home to find naked men laying all around living room and came to find out those two girls were probably who those men had come to see last night. Students whose electricity was turned off - no lights but also no stove, no refrigerator, no laundry. Ten year olds in charge of the younger siblings all night long or in charge of sickly grand parents, parents, etc... And you would think these are very specific occurrences, but I found that these were just who we found, and so many more to find.

Now tell me, how can a student focus when this is his or her life?

[truth_bombs]

Parents are the problem in MPS.

[pete6032]

The "problem" with MPS is that it's borders encapsulate large swaths of impoverished part of the city. Try teaching algebra to a kid who doesn't have anything to eat, doesn't have a permanent housing situation, and fears getting mugged/shot on his way in to school each day.

[Empidonax]

All of the above. In addition to the chronic poverty, lack of jobs, bittersweet role of public assistance, rampant violence, dysfunctional family and social structures, ill-prepared and young/immature parents, chronically disruptive behavior in classrooms, huge class sizes (40+ kids in a class is not uncommon), poor funding or improperly channeled funding, poorly regarded and compensated teachers (for the kind of work they have to do and the crap they have to take), administrative corruption and stupidity in MPS, etc., don't forget that teachers have very little power and authority to discipline and control kids in their classes (the kids rule the roost). Additionally, there is very little accountability from the population at large: the problems of MPS/impoverished Milwaukee is largely seen as "their" problem or "the city's problem"--not the problem of everyone (including city elites and suburbanites) in the metro area. Everyone keeps looking the other way, but this problem belongs to everyone: the city, the county, the metro, the state, and beyond. Few people are owning up to it.