Image by Michael Burmesch
Apple and books
In mid-November, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) received notice that 100 Afghani refugees were scheduled to arrive in Milwaukee, joining several Afghani families already enrolled in MPS.
The notice was not unusual. MPS has long been the educational home for recent immigrants and refugees. When they knock on the door, we welcome them in, no questions asked.
MPS has all the problems facing every large urban district in the country, and those must be addressed. But one of its unrecognized strengths is the significant number of students from other countries, bringing a rich diversity of culture and language.
By last count there were 85 distinct home languages spoken by MPS students. Eleven MPS schools have students speaking 15 or more languages.
The district’s Mexican immigrants have long been acknowledged. Recent arrivals also include Rohingya refugees fleeing the violence in Myanmar, African immigrants such as Swahili-speaking Somalis and French-speaking Congolese families (some of whom attend the MPS French immersion school.) There is also a growing number of immigrants from Central America.
I witnessed this diversity first-hand at a pre-pandemic South Division High School graduation. As the ceremony began, students walked onto the dais where I was sitting and welcomed people in 11 different languages.
The recent immigrants add to what was already an impressive multiracial, multilingual student body at MPS, from our African American, Latinx, Native American and Hmong students, to our white students. It’s hard to explain how proud this makes me feel.
Unrecognized Treasures
The diversity of our students is just one of the unrecognized treasures of MPS. Other little-known strengths include:
- Our Spanish, French, German, and Italian immersion programs. In addition, 21 schools offer bilingual (Spanish/English) programming.
- Our Montessori Schools. MPS has eight Montessori schools, more than any other public school district in the country. The most recent addition is the Riley Dual Language (Spanish/English) Montessori school.
- Since 2015, MPS has established 14 “community schools” which include wrap-around health and social services and work with more than a dozen community organizations, from the 16th Street Health Clinic to the Milwaukee Urban League.
- International baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP) programs are offered in 25 of our high schools and middle school, allowing students to earn college credit before they graduate. The district also has “dual enrollment” arrangements with Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee allowing students to get credit in a variety of disciplines, from nursing to mechanical HVAC systems.
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The list could go on, from the eco-friendly “green revitalization” of our playgrounds to our STEM programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Yes, we have serious challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a shortage of certified teachers, para-professionals, bus drivers and other staff. We need to work harder at issues of equity, ensuring that all students are treated with respect and dignity, and have access to quality curriculum.
But many of our challenges are rooted in larger problems. Milwaukee, for instance, is one of the most segregated metropolitan regions in the country and ranks as one of the worst cities for African Americans. Life expectancy can vary by as much as 12 years, depending on the zip code where one was born. And a new report by the Sentencing Project found that Wisconsin has the highest incarceration rate of any state in the country. Those numbers are driven by Milwaukee County, where nearly 70 percent of the Black population lives.
MPS is working to address these problems, in conjunction with the unions representing MPS employees, in particular the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, and with area officials, community organizations and businesses.
At times, the problems facing MPS seem overwhelming. But I know that, quite literally, MPS is educating the city’s future.
It should be no surprise that many of our elected officials graduated from MPS high schools—such as County Executive David Crowley (Bay View High School), County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson (Milwaukee School of Languages), and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes (Marshall High School). A majority of Milwaukee alderpeople graduated from MPS high schools—Nik Kovac, Ashanti Hamilton, Milele Coggs and Khalif Rainey from Riverside University High School; Marina Dimitrijevic, Chantia Lewis and Cavalier Johnson from Bay View; and Michael Murphy from Madison High School.
I wake up every morning thinking about MPS. After teaching in the system for three decades, serving as president of the teachers union for four years, and now serving as president of the school board, I know all-too-well the issues we face. But I am optimistic.
I value the more than 10,000 educators and staff who work for MPS. Above all, I value our students, who bring a breadth and depth of diversity unmatched by any district in Wisconsin.
