We appreciate your responses!
Earlier this year, we asked members of our MPS community (students, families, staff and residents) to respond to a survey that listed Key Success Factors for MPS. We intend to use these factors as we continue development of an updated strategic plan for the district.
In our survey, we listed 12 factors and asked readers to rank each of them in importance, assigning a “1” to the most important, and a “12” to the least important.
The greatest consensus was around the statement “Attract and retain high-quality talent (teachers and administrators, etc.)” A focus on teacher hiring and retention also was evident in the district’s Stakeholder Engagement Summit in December 2012 and the corresponding Student Engagement Summit in January 2013 – both facilitated by Dr. Jacobson and designed to gather input for the updated strategic plan.
The concern for the ability to hire and retain quality teachers isn’t surprising, given the strong role that teachers have in directly impacting student achievement. MPS continues to make significant inroads in the quest to hire the best educators, most recently through a strong recruiting campaign carried forward by the MPS Office of Human Resources. It is fitting that the theme of the campaign is The Power of One.
Another area to note was the support expressed for safe, well-performing schools that offer a variety of programming. Our stakeholders also told us that they want the district to recognize when a school is succeeding, and then to take steps to replicate that success in other programs and schools. A recent example of this is the decision in 2012 by the district to create an additional Montessori program, the Howard Avenue Montessori School, which this year began offering instruction for 3- and 4-year-old children.
Those who participated in our facilitated work sessions as well as those who provided their input online were also eager to see continued efforts to increase parental involvement.
Below are the results of the rankings of success factors as captured in the MPS online survey in February and March 2013. Each of the factors presented in the first column begin with the words “When we are at our best, we…”
Again, we intend to use these factors in developing an updated strategic plan for Milwaukee Public Schools. Bookmark this page or subscribe by filling out the form on the right for opportunities to provide input on these specific components of the plan in the near future: mission, vision and core beliefs.
Please continue to let us know your thoughts and provide any questions you may have, by writing us at mpsstrategicplan@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.
