The Success Story of Lee Elementary School

At a time when the quality of education throughout the country is being criticized as inadequate, especially for urban children from minority and low socioeconomic backgrounds, Lee Elementary School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has developed a program that has resulted in success-R.I.S.E. (Rising to Individual Scholastic Excellence). This article describes the philosophy and methods utilized to achieve this success story. Lee Elementary School, located on the near north side of Milwaukee, offers traditional instruction from age three to grade six. Situated in an aging socioeconomic area, the school has one of the highest mobility rates in the city (approximately 60 percent mobility each year). One of the results of such a high mobility factor is that greater emphasis must be placed on orienting and strengthening out-of-state pupils new to the Milwaukee Public School system. As of January 1, 1988, the total enrollment of Lee Elementary School in preschool through grade six was 674 pupils. Approximately 98 percent of the school enrollment is composed of black children. Of the remainder, 1.5 percent are white and 0.5 percent other. The socioeconomic status of pupils in this school is generally low. In fact, for the 1986-87 school year, over 88 percent of the pupils attending this school received free lunch. The staff at Lee Elementary School, consisting of 32.5 teachers, a principal, an assistant principal, two secretaries, and 20 teacher

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