Programs

Advanced Academic Programs

Adventures in the Arts

MPS is teaming up with Arts @ Large, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and SHARP Literacy to offer dance, theater, music, and visual arts adventures for every student this summer.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology provides students with disabilities access and communication for successful learning.

Autism

Milwaukee Public Schools supports students on the autism spectrum. MPS recognizes best practices in working with neurological differences and provides support in social/communication, rigidity, sensory, and other individual factors.

Behavior

All Milwaukee Public Schools participate in a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system. This is a schoolwide, systematic, tiered-intervention approach to behaviors that effectively helps to reduce classroom disruptions and student suspensions. Students whose behavior continues to interfere with their learning or that of others after intensive behavioral interventions may qualify for special education services to address their individual needs. Special education teachers work in conjunction with other school personnel to develop strategies and goals to address each student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to help the student make changes in his or her behavior.

Child Find

Pursuant to federal and state law, MPS identifies, locates and evaluates all children with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disability, who are in need of special education and related services, including children attending private schools, children who are not yet three years of age, highly mobile children such as migrant and homeless children, and children who are suspected of being a student with a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade.

Community Service

Students who participate in thoughtfully designed community service experiences are more likely to do well in school, graduate, vote, and become responsible citizens.

Comprehensive Literacy Plan

The MPS Comprehensive Literacy Plan educates all students to proficiency and beyond in order to prepare them for success in higher education, careers, and responsible citizenship.

Contracted School Services

The Office of Contracted School Services (CSS) supports the development, successful implementation and ongoing accountability of charter schools, partnership schools and other contracted education programs within MPS.

Credit Recovery

The Edgenuity program uses an online curriculum that aligns to MPS expectations regarding curriculum and rigor.

Curriculum and Instruction

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education is critical to students' future academic success. We offer Head Start and state-licensed early childhood centers in addition to kindergarten programming that begins at age 4 in most schools, with some offering kindergarten at age 3. Many early childhood classrooms feature small classrooms thanks to AGR funding.

English as a Second Language

English as a second language (ESL) services are offered throughout the district as both a component of the Bilingual (Spanish/English) Program as well as to other language-minority students who attend ESL stand-alone schools. For both programs, classes are taught by certified ESL teachers at various schools in MPS at the K-12 level.

Extended Learning Opportunities

MPS offers a variety of extended learning opportunities (ELO) that provide more time for academics and enrichment beyond the conventional school day (for example, extended day, out-of-school breaks, weekends, and summer).

First Nations Studies

MPS offers programming specific to First Nations students at schools in which there are large concentrations of First Nations students with the goal of ensuring that the students meet the same rigorous standards as all students. Services include native language revitalization classes and academic advisors.

General Educational Development Program (GEDO #2)

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction authorizes Milwaukee Public Schools and other districts to operate school-based GED Option #2 (GEDO #2) programs. Certain requirements need to be met for enrollment.

Health and Wellness

The concepts and skills learned in health education become the cornerstone for developing healthy habits that students will use every day for the rest of their lives. Physical education is an integral aspect of an individual’s total educational experience.

Hearing Impairments

In Milwaukee Public Schools, deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) services are provided to students with hearing impairments.

Homeless Education Program

MPS offers services to homeless families through school-based and centrally-based programs. Homeless children have many rights and are eligible for many services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program sponsored by the International Baccalaureate is used in IB World Schools around the globe.

Internships

Lau Compliance

Staff members at the Lau Compliance Office enroll children who speak any home language other than English and screens students for ESL services.

Library Media Services

The Division of Library Media Services provides leadership in developing pre-K through grade 12 school library media programs to support student achievement. School library programs ensure that students and teachers have access to media collections that include a variety of print, non-print, reference and electronic resources.

Middle and High School Programs

Learn about the opportunities for middle and high school students to meet expected graduation dates.

MPS Athletics

Student-athletes learn a great deal from participating in interscholastic athletics. Lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, competition, and how to win and lose gracefully are all integral parts of team goals. Athletic competition adds to school spirit and helps students, participants and community members take pride in their school.

Music

Our mission is to provide high-quality music education to all students through classroom and community instructional and performance opportunities. Our goal is to strengthen school reform efforts, boost academic achievement, and increase student engagement in Milwaukee Public Schools.

Physical Education

MPS uses the nationally recognized SPARK curriculum for K-grade 8. This curriculum focuses on using a variety of activities to engage students and get them moving in and out of school. MPS physical education at the high school level uses a variety of courses to help students learn what it means to be physically active for a lifetime.

Pregnant and Parenting Youth

PPYP services are available to school-age parents (young fathers and mothers) to improve the educational, wellness, and social/emotional outcomes for school-age parents and their children. The goals of the program are to increase attendance and graduation rates, increase teen enrollment in higher education, increase parent knowledge of effective parenting practices, increase knowledge about and practices in healthy relationships, and enhance coordination of school and community services.

Project Lead the Way

PLTW is a nationally established program focused on preparing the future technical and engineering workforce. PLTW offers curriculums for elementary school (PLTW Launch), middle school (PLTW Gateway), and high school (PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, and PLTW Computer Science). Through PLTW, MPS students have the opportunity to explore STEM education – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – through a fully developed curriculum intended to stimulate interest in various fields of technology.

Ropes and Challenges

The MPS ropes and challenges education curriculum is based on the experiential learning model and takes a sequential approach in activities designed to help individuals and groups develop/enhance positive social skills.

School Social Work

School social workers provide an ecological approach to promoting student success. They assist children and families by examining factors in the home, school, and/or community that impact a student’s education success and work toward reducing barriers to learning.

Science

The Milwaukee Public Schools' Science Department aligns its science curriculum to the vision of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education." This framework provides a balanced, comprehensive, and research-based science education for all students focused on the life, physical, and earth/space sciences integrating engineering and Common Core State Standards in math and literacy.

Service-Learning

Service-learning is a way to teach and learn that connects classroom studies with the care and concern students naturally have for their world.

Social Studies

Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.

Speech and Language Services

The Speech and Language Disabilities Program serves approximately 6,000 students in public, private, and parochial schools within the corporate boundaries of the district. Spoken communication is the foundation for reading, writing, and all human interaction. Speech-language pathologists emphasize the delivery of collaborative, curriculum-aligned services to all students to help them develop competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Student Wellness and Prevention

The Wellness and Prevention Office includes the MPS health and PE departments, MPS ropes and challenge course, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and other grant-funded programs. Our mission is to support the physical, social, emotional, and academic development of all students. Our goal is to develop confident, self-reliant, and self-directed individuals who are capable of reaching their full potential as productive members of society.

Summer Adventures

Summer Adventures offer students hands-on opportunities to explore our community. These FREE field trips focus on Wisconsin's heritage, the natural environment, and exploration in science.

Telepresence

Thirteen MPS high schools offer courses through telepresence. Students are studying AP Spanish Language, AP Calculus, AP World History, AP Macro and Microeconomics, and AP Government with classmates at other high schools in the district through daily videoconference.

Visual Impairments

Specialists in Milwaukee may work with any student who meets the Wisconsin eligibility criteria for visual impairment, including those who have additional disabilities and those who are deaf-blind.

World Languages Program

In MPS, there are three types of elementary program models for world languages: foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES), full immersion, and partial immersion.