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MPS reports ‘TEACHES’ support teams in 15 schools saw early gains on attendance and suspensions
Summary
Administration presented a bimonthly report on school climate and the TEACHES (Team for Equitable Education Coaching and Holistic Support) approach, describing targeted teams (TAN) in 15 schools, early improvements in attendance and suspensions at participating sites, and plans to expand mentoring and restorative programs.
Milwaukee Public Schools administration on March 11 delivered a bimonthly update on efforts to improve school climate, discipline and support for high-need schools, including early results from a targeted support model called TEACHES.
Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan introduced the report and turned the presentation to John Jagman, the district’s discipline manager, and Dr. Tanzanique Carrington, principal of Morris Middle School for the Gifted and Talented, who described on-the-ground practices. Jagman said TEACHES initially targeted 15 schools that accounted for roughly half of the district’s suspensions; the effort deploys a TAN, or team of aligned needs, that pairs academic and behavioral support in participating buildings.
Jagman outlined measured early outcomes from the TAN work: all TEACHES schools reported increased student attendance; 10 schools showed decreases in total suspensions; participating schools documented 823 tier 2 and tier 3 behavior interventions and about 117,000 documented classroom strategies in Infinite Campus through February. Jagman said just under 3,300 of those strategies were recorded as restorative conversations and about 70 as repairing-harm circles. He also reported an ongoing districtwide disparity: “75.42 percent of all suspensions are written for Black students,” a figure he said is down nearly 5 percentage points year to date.
Dr. Tanzanique Carrington said Morris Middle School, which has 386 students, had reduced its suspension rate by 26.1 percent and increased attendance by 3.9 percent this school year. Carrington described schoolwide changes including daily morning meetings, expanded mediation and restorative supports, affinity and SEL groups, expanded peer mentoring (Link Crew), and the removal of separate honors sections to create more integrated classes.
Administrators said the district will survey staff in April on readiness and mindset around equity work, run an updated discipline-disproportionality survey in May, and collaborate with UW–Madison on a restorative-practices readiness grant. The administration also said it is contracting with Imagine Learning to create a program called SURGE (Students Utilizing Resources for Growth & Excellence) to provide social-emotional learning and synchronous/asynchronous academic support for students who need alternatives to traditional placements starting next school year.
Committee members and community speakers praised some early gains and pressed for more frequency of on-site support, clearer metrics and expansion to younger grades. Larry Hoffman of the MICA Education Task Force asked the administration to continue reporting quantitative and qualitative results. Angela Lucas Foley asked that the bimonthly report be provided monthly and requested more evidence about staff capacity-building for courageous conversations about race.
The item was informational; no formal committee action was required or taken at the meeting.
