By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee school district should give the green light to more non-union charter schools and institute performance pay for outstanding teachers, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and the American Enterprise Institute.

The report, called “Pathway to Success,” also calls on Wisconsin and Milwaukee officials to intervene more quickly when schools begin to fail, and for the state to create a “recovery school district” to manage failing schools until they return to academic health.

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The report is a compilation of papers written by various scholars who favor a free-market approach to education reform, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It not only calls for improvements within the Milwaukee district, but says the need for improvement extends to many charter and voucher schools throughout the area and state, as well.

The report is “unlikely to gain traction with union advocates and supporters of traditional public schools,” who still have a great deal of influence in Wisconsin, according to the news report.

Other recommendations from the report include:

The Milwaukee school district should remove a current cap on enrollment in non-union charter schools. This rule, clearly designed to preserve jobs for union teachers, forces most charter schools in the district (and indeed the state) to hire union teachers and operate a lot like traditional public schools.

Non-union charters are more creative and innovative in their programs because they don’t have to deal with union rules and financial demands. That kind of flexibility is crucial in schools that are dealing with many students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are behind their peers academically.

The report also says local and state officials should intervene much sooner when schools show signs of faltering academically, and the state should create a “recovery school district” that would manage failing schools and concentrate on improving instruction. Such a program has enjoyed success in Louisiana and other states, the news report said.

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The report calls for Milwaukee Public Schools, as well as charter and voucher schools, to offer salary bonuses to attract and retain more quality teachers. It also calls for the state Department of Instruction to develop a system to more closely screen and evaluate potential teachers before they begin the teacher-training process.

Making the profession more selective has worked well in other nations like Finland and Singapore, the report said.