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Meeting Date:
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Category:
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Type:
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Subject:
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1. Action on Resolution 1516R-001 by Director Miller on Black Lives Matter |
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Strategic Plan Compatibility Statement:
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Goal 1 Academic Achievement Goal 2 Student, Family and Community Engagement
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Attachments:
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1. 1516R-001 Miller-Black Lives Matter
2. Administrations Report
3. Brothers Keeper |
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File Attachment:
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Background:
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At its meeting on April 28, 2015, the Board referred the attached Resolution 1516R-001 by Director Miller to the Committee on Student Achievement and School Innovation.
Of the eight MPS organizational strategies, the top two priorities of the district remain 1) closing the gap and 2) educating the whole child. Much work is currently underway to assure that we are successful in accomplishing these priorities. Additionally, it is the Administration's goal that an advisory group be created for each of the eight organizational strategies, which will ultimately and inherently achieve the goal included in the resolution relative to creating an advisory council to address specific concerns related to issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement.
The MKE Peace Project is one mechanism that creates safe space for students to engage in dialog on issues faced in our community. It challenges youth in the central city to assess the causes of violence in their neighborhoods and to provide solutions to the problem. Other mechanisms include efforts to redesign opportunities for students’ voices in the district, including the Superintendent's Student Advisory and student representation on School Governance Councils.
MPS is supporting implementation of President Obama's My Brother's Keeper initiative effort in Milwaukee by collaborating with branches of government, local businesses, and community organizations to increase the number of males of color who are succeeding academically and socially in our schools.
Expanding restorative justice is a delicate process that works best when school communities opt in. Piloting additional schools and taking it to scale over time would prove most effective in growing this key support for our students.
Some of the other efforts and initiatives currently in place that address the resolution include the following:
• ensuring that culturally responsive teaching practices are in place in all schools through training;
• enhancing our district vision for student participation in a wide offering of clubs;
• creating an administrative policy that includes a comprehensive approach to early childhood education as guided by developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and greatly restricts suspensions of students in grades K3 through second grade;
• supporting trauma-informed care with a host of partners to include the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Milwaukee Police Department, Children's Hospital, Project Ujima, and Sojourner Family Peace Center;
• providing support to students through the Violence Free Zone to include truancy, attendance, GPAs, daily life concerns, college readiness, community service, and plans for specialized training to support LGBT students;
• providing Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (CPI) training that focuses on de-escalation skills to all MPS employees. This training focuses on prevention and offers proven strategies for safely defusing anxious, hostile, or violent behavior at the earliest possible stage;
• offering the S.T.O.P. (Students Talking it Over with Police) curriculum, which is designed to develop positive relationships between youth and law enforcement.
• tutoring and mentoring provided to students through City Year corps members; and
• providing Attendance Liaisons that focus on reconnecting students that have had attendance problems with school. |
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Fiscal Impact Statement:
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The current budget includes systems and initiatives to support our students of color. The proposed budget adds four positions to further support the work, to include an equity specialist, student engagement coordinator, diversity specialist, and the director of business and community partnerships. |
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Implementation and Assessment Plan: |
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The Administration will take direction from the Board. |
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Recommendation
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The Administration recommends that, in lieu of adopting the resolution, the Board direct the Administration to continue programs and initiatives currently underway and included in the proposed budget to support students of color. |
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Approvals:
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Recommended By: |
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Signed By: |
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Dr. Darienne Driver - Superintendent |
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