Milwaukee has its issues

In Section: Kultur Milwaukee Posted By: Stephanie Felchner

In my last post I used images to try and convey the natural beauty of Milwaukee and although I may be biased I think there is plenty in this city. However, I am not naive and I am made well aware of the ugliness and problems that Milwaukee struggles with on a daily basis.

America's 22nd largest city deals with drug use, violence, educational crises, and poverty each day.

Poverty- A few years back, 2003-2004, poverty in Wisconsin rose the fastest in the nation with 571,000 people in the state and 143,000 people in the city living without enough money to ensure they had an adequate amount of food. In 2007 our city held the 8th highest poverty rate in the nation. A sad reality.

A look at some solutions.

Education- MPS is unfortanately known more for the violence that occurs in the classrooms and halls

Related to:mps violence education struggles drugs police

and poor standardized test performances, than its potential to be a great public school system, one that could improve the future of Milwaukee. As a former education major I spent a semester observing at 65th street school. I witnessed the problems, but I also saw great teachers who truly made a difference in their classrooms and many who were able to relate to students, parents, and other staff members. My hope is that MPS can acheive a more positive reputation in the coming years.

Drug Use- Drugs exist everywhere, they are prevalent in both the city and suburbs and include the abuse of both illegal and legal substances.

Violence- There is no denying that violence and crime take their toll on the city. It really does affect us all. Here are Milwaukee's crime stats.

What is your take? How can we find and implement the best possible solutions and resources?

Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
1
2
3
4
5

CBo

Kudos to the MPS teachers. They may be the one positive influence that many of these students have.

MGC

I'm glad you put Education in the #1 spot. The formative years in primary and secondary schools are key to the healthy development of productive individuals from what I've witnessed. Based on my conversations with educators, it is primarily the lack of family support & involvement that is hampering the education system. I suspect that the nanny-state and school-as-daycare mentalities lie behind the parental apathy. I think a push for responsibility and accountability onto parents would drastically improve the education system, and the improvements there would quickly show in other areas such as youth drug use and violence.

Carey

You're absolutely right. I believe there is a strong correlation between family and education values (or lack there of). Too many parents are not teaching responsibility and respect within their own homes, which is resulting in too many problems within our schools.

Shepherd Express Staff Bloggers