The President of the MTEA is Dennis Oulahan. Dennis taught in Milwaukee Public Schools for 20 years before taking office.
In the fall 2005 edition of Family Connection I wrote about the NEA Foundation Grant, a $2.5 million project designed to narrow achievement gaps in the Milwaukee Public Schools. The grant is funded with one dollar from each member of the National Education Association, the national organization our MTEA members belong to.
I’d like to report to you on some of the progress our members and MPS children and families have made under that grant so far. The 27 schools with the lowest scores on the Wisconsin state tests and the lowest growth in their test scores (the "NEA Focus Schools") were included in the grant. Each school received extra funds through the grant and extra help from the school district as well.
I am happy to report that, comparing 2006-2007 scores to 2005-2006, 4th and 8th graders at the NEA Focus Schools made better progress than the MPS average in reading and math. Attendance improved at 11 of the 27 schools, and the district graduation rate, including all MPS schools, improved from 65% to 68%. We still have plenty of work to do, particularly at the high school level, but these improvements are good news.
I would like to extend congratulations to your children, who worked hard to make this progress, to you, their parents and guardians, for supporting them in their work and to all of the MTEA members who worked hard every day guiding them to their goals. The results show us we can achieve our goals. MPS can improve, and the achievement gaps can be narrowed.
Thanks for your help in achieving the progress we’ve made so far. I hope you will join us in continuing to work hard for improvements in all of our schools, for all of our children.
In Partnership,
Dennis Oulahan