Forty-four of 50 schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District have African Americans as a “focus group” in their School Improvement Plans, according to the district’s first Quarterly Review of Progress for the 2015-16 school year.
This means those schools have set accelerated goals for African American student achievement, and put in place strategies to reach those goals, the report says.
The report also says MMSD is providing targeted support to improve early literacy, strengthening its family engagement efforts, taking race and bias head on and more in the first quarter of the school year. The review provides an update on the district’s work overall and also spotlights what the district’s strategy means for progress for African American students.
“Our school district is on a mission to close the gaps in opportunity that lead to disparities in achievement and to ensure that every child graduates ready for college, career and community,” Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham said.
“We believe that every child can be successful if we hold high expectations for all students and then provide the unique support that each student needs to meet that high bar. We have made positive strides across our district and we are seeing evidence of those high expectations for all, matched with high support, taking hold.”
Every quarter, the district conducts a deep review of progress in order to identify strengths and challenges, collaboratively problem-solve and make adjustments where needed. The review begins with school teams, then central office, the Board of Education and a public report to the community.
