I was somewhat surprised to hear the statements by Edgar Mendez from Lake Effect’s Tuesday November 5th program. Mr. Mendez consistently referred to independent charters performing the same as MPS schools, and that simply isn’t the case.
He cited that “only” 47% of independent charters were meeting expectations on the statewide report card, but failed to mention that only 24% of MPS schools met expectations. Furthermore, math and reading proficiency are higher in independent charters than traditional Milwaukee Public Schools based on the state tests, and charters show higher growth than students in schools across the state on average.
I’m fully supportive of all our quality public schools, whether traditional or charter, but misleading statements on performance impede our ability to objectively look at what’s working for our highest-need students and build off of it to improve performance across the city.
Please let me know if I can provide further information. Thanks, and I enjoy listening to Lake Effect. Keep up the good work.
~ Sean Roberts