Rebuilding a safe, pro-learning culture at an inner-city school
It’s been a rough cultural transition back to schools since the lockdowns, and we are starting to see the price that will be paid for keeping our kids out of the nation’s schools for as long as we did. We are fighting to reclaim our schools for the sake of the children we serve. Some schools, like mine, have been up to the task, but many others have not recovered.
I am the Director of the Free Enterprise Academy at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. Milwaukee Lutheran is a school of approximately 860 students, most of whom are inner-city, economically disadvantaged, black kids who attend using a school choice voucher. Like most schools during the closures, Milwaukee Lutheran went to virtual learning, with varying levels of success. When we returned to in-person instruction, little did we know the problems were only just beginning.
Many people have written about the drops in proficiency and attendance since our return from the lockdowns. One of the most important aspects often not considered is the damage done to a school’s culture. Anti-social behavior, insubordination, fighting, and tardiness seemed to be the norm.
