Back to School for a Year of Promise and Hope

On Tuesday, September 4, I joined Superintendent William Andrekopoulos to greet thousands of students as they headed back to classes in Milwaukee Public Schools. The 2007-2008 MPS school year has administrators focused on building on the gains seen in graduation rates, attendance figures and test scores.

• The MPS high school graduation rate has steadily risen over each of the last six years, from 52% in 1999-00 to 68% in 2005-06 (as reported by the state), an increase of 16 percentage points. The district has narrowed the graduation gap within? the state from 37 points to 21 points. 

• MPS recorded significant increases in the percentage of its students scoring at/above the proficient level on state tests this past school year (2006-07). The district recorded overall proficiency increases in five of the seven grades assessed in Reading and six of seven grades in Mathematics.