Two new projects intend to change that. Part of the problem, for those who want to improve Milwaukee's schools, is figuring out what's going on. Public officials don't agree. In February School Superintendent Alan Brown declared Milwaukee's problems weren't bad compared to other cities and that the schools weren't in crisis. The school system is in crisis.
Similar fireworks fly over specifics, like dropout rates.
Everyone agrees they're too high. But reform groups think the official figure of 40 percent undercounts the problem. Ward is trying to do something about that. She is a member of Milwaukee Catalyst, a citywide research and school reform organization launched earlier this year with the help of the Chicago-based group Designs for Change. The group plans to release a report this spring on key indicators of school effectiveness, then organize a series of community meetings to elicit ideas and build public support for change.