Milwaukee Public Schools fight through the trenches
The city of Milwaukee has gone through some major changes economically and socially throughout the years, and it has impacted the structure of education in the inner-city communities.
"These experiments, as well as the economic collapse of manufacturing in this blue-collar American city, have left a school system filled with massive inequalities, cites Cap Time writer, Kim Ukura.
A change in the structure of Milwaukee Public Schools and the creation of Milwaukee's voucher school program have led to some gaps in proficiency of the students. The voucher program was supposed to benefit "poor children" but instead, it has left a lot of them at disadvantage because the program's criteria has been changed through new policies.
As these changes are made, the ones who suffer the most are the students in these schools because they cannot access the proper resources needed on a consistent basis. The unfortunate effect of poor school system management is poor academic performance in the classroom.
Within the past couple of years, the standards for measuring academic proficiency within Milwaukee Public Schools have changed; and unfortunately, students still aren't performing well enough. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Based on a new and tougher yardstick for academic competency in Wisconsin, about 90% of the students in Milwaukee's private-school voucher program are not proficient in reading and math", Erin Richards, Education columnist.
City Year treats community service as common expectation
The presence of financial instability and inconsistent testing standards for Milwaukee Public Schools have put many students in a difficult position. With the students being the central focus of academic success, service organizations such as City Year have stepped in to lend a helping hand in Milwaukee Public Schools.
If you notice a group of people walking around in jackets with distinguished patches, they aren't boy scouts and they're definitely not Ghostbusters. These young people of distinction are proud members of City Year. City Year is a service organization that is dedicated to seeing "at-risk" youth excel academically and socially in school.
City Year was founded in 1988 by Michael Brown and Alan Khazei, former roommates at Harvard Law School. Together, they had the desire to see service in communities as a common expectation and they set out to create an organization that embodied this vision.
Today, City Year currently serves 24 cities across the United States with 2 international affiliate locations in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England.
City Year comes to Milwaukee
City Year arrived to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 1st, 2010 and they have been trailblazing in every area of Milwaukee Public Schools. Sixty corps members began their service in six Milwaukee Public Schools.
On the Milwaukee branch of the City Year website, the prominent organization acknowledges the different obstacles students in Milwaukee Public Schools face; including the fact that the graduation rate of students in Milwaukee is 62%, which is significantly lower than the state rate of 88%.
The 17-24 year olds who dedicate a year of service to the schools they serve in have made a commitment to act as tutors and mentors to "at-risk" students. These corps members will proudly wear their red City Year jackets and be role models to those young students.
Corps members of City Year Milwaukee aim to alleviate the burdens attached with being an "at-risk" youth; they will spend the entire day with a select group of students and help them improve their proficiency and understanding of school subjects such as mathematics and reading.
"I was responsible for working with these students who had been targeted as "at-risk" students due to their poor performance in a guide that City Year labeled the ABC's: attendance, behavior, courses", says City Year Milwaukee founding Corps member, Brittany Nash.
Nash spent a year working with a small group of 6th graders throughout the day at Roosevelt Middle School, and she helped them with their math and English. As a mentor and tutor, her goal was to break down the students' schoolwork into a manner in which they would be able comprehend.
Soon enough, Nash discovered that being a City Year member goes beyond the realm of academics. "I saw that students needed the most help in trusting adults. The students I worked with had been let down by so many adults in their lives that it was hard for them to let their guard down", says Brittany Nash.
City Year hopes to act as a intervention program for students like those in Milwaukee Public Schools who suffer from the constant and inconsistent transformations an urban school district may encounter.
Those who dedicate themselves to the challenge of service within Milwaukee Public Schools are expected to be passionate about it. The qualifications to be a Corps member go beyond the requirements on the application.
According to Chris Castro, Program and Service Director for City Year Milwaukee, says that "We look for a lifelong learner...with an open mind with a willingness to learn and a passion for the work we do."
The time and dedication Corps members spend with their student groups seems to be showing some positive results. Corps members are given an opportunity to build trust and relationships with their students.
Founding member Brittany Nash talks about the student she had who struggled to open up to anyone. "Once I established a trust relationship with him through mentoring, we were able to tackle the tutoring side and he discovered that he had an exceptional gift in creative writing", says Nash.
City Year has been present in the City of Milwaukee for almost 3 years, and the impact they've had on students are really making a positive difference. Nash was pleased to report that the student she worked with "also raised his MAP score by 19 in reading and 11 in math. My other students have also seen gains in their MAP scores for both subjects."
The young people wearing bold red jackets around the city of Milwaukee have managed to make their presence known in different Milwaukee Public Schools, and they continue to serve with pride and passion for social change in the classrooms.
For more visual depictions of this article, check out my Storify and Info Graphic!
The city of Milwaukee has gone through some major changes economically and socially throughout the years, and it has impacted the structure of education in the inner-city communities.
"These experiments, as well as the economic collapse of manufacturing in this blue-collar American city, have left a school system filled with massive inequalities, cites Cap Time writer, Kim Ukura.
A change in the structure of Milwaukee Public Schools and the creation of Milwaukee's voucher school program have led to some gaps in proficiency of the students. The voucher program was supposed to benefit "poor children" but instead, it has left a lot of them at disadvantage because the program's criteria has been changed through new policies.
As these changes are made, the ones who suffer the most are the students in these schools because they cannot access the proper resources needed on a consistent basis. The unfortunate effect of poor school system management is poor academic performance in the classroom.
Within the past couple of years, the standards for measuring academic proficiency within Milwaukee Public Schools have changed; and unfortunately, students still aren't performing well enough. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Based on a new and tougher yardstick for academic competency in Wisconsin, about 90% of the students in Milwaukee's private-school voucher program are not proficient in reading and math", Erin Richards, Education columnist.
City Year treats community service as common expectation
The presence of financial instability and inconsistent testing standards for Milwaukee Public Schools have put many students in a difficult position. With the students being the central focus of academic success, service organizations such as City Year have stepped in to lend a helping hand in Milwaukee Public Schools.
If you notice a group of people walking around in jackets with distinguished patches, they aren't boy scouts and they're definitely not Ghostbusters. These young people of distinction are proud members of City Year. City Year is a service organization that is dedicated to seeing "at-risk" youth excel academically and socially in school.
City Year was founded in 1988 by Michael Brown and Alan Khazei, former roommates at Harvard Law School. Together, they had the desire to see service in communities as a common expectation and they set out to create an organization that embodied this vision.
Today, City Year currently serves 24 cities across the United States with 2 international affiliate locations in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England.
City Year comes to Milwaukee
City Year arrived to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 1st, 2010 and they have been trailblazing in every area of Milwaukee Public Schools. Sixty corps members began their service in six Milwaukee Public Schools.
On the Milwaukee branch of the City Year website, the prominent organization acknowledges the different obstacles students in Milwaukee Public Schools face; including the fact that the graduation rate of students in Milwaukee is 62%, which is significantly lower than the state rate of 88%.
The 17-24 year olds who dedicate a year of service to the schools they serve in have made a commitment to act as tutors and mentors to "at-risk" students. These corps members will proudly wear their red City Year jackets and be role models to those young students.
Corps members of City Year Milwaukee aim to alleviate the burdens attached with being an "at-risk" youth; they will spend the entire day with a select group of students and help them improve their proficiency and understanding of school subjects such as mathematics and reading.
"I was responsible for working with these students who had been targeted as "at-risk" students due to their poor performance in a guide that City Year labeled the ABC's: attendance, behavior, courses", says City Year Milwaukee founding Corps member, Brittany Nash.
Nash spent a year working with a small group of 6th graders throughout the day at Roosevelt Middle School, and she helped them with their math and English. As a mentor and tutor, her goal was to break down the students' schoolwork into a manner in which they would be able comprehend.
Soon enough, Nash discovered that being a City Year member goes beyond the realm of academics. "I saw that students needed the most help in trusting adults. The students I worked with had been let down by so many adults in their lives that it was hard for them to let their guard down", says Brittany Nash.
City Year hopes to act as a intervention program for students like those in Milwaukee Public Schools who suffer from the constant and inconsistent transformations an urban school district may encounter.
Those who dedicate themselves to the challenge of service within Milwaukee Public Schools are expected to be passionate about it. The qualifications to be a Corps member go beyond the requirements on the application.
According to Chris Castro, Program and Service Director for City Year Milwaukee, says that "We look for a lifelong learner...with an open mind with a willingness to learn and a passion for the work we do."
The time and dedication Corps members spend with their student groups seems to be showing some positive results. Corps members are given an opportunity to build trust and relationships with their students.
Founding member Brittany Nash talks about the student she had who struggled to open up to anyone. "Once I established a trust relationship with him through mentoring, we were able to tackle the tutoring side and he discovered that he had an exceptional gift in creative writing", says Nash.
City Year has been present in the City of Milwaukee for almost 3 years, and the impact they've had on students are really making a positive difference. Nash was pleased to report that the student she worked with "also raised his MAP score by 19 in reading and 11 in math. My other students have also seen gains in their MAP scores for both subjects."
The young people wearing bold red jackets around the city of Milwaukee have managed to make their presence known in different Milwaukee Public Schools, and they continue to serve with pride and passion for social change in the classrooms.
For more visual depictions of this article, check out my Storify and Info Graphic!
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