The CALL Team is excited to be working with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)! Over the past two years, four principals from MPS have used CALL as part of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Title I Leadership for Learning Project.

From the CALL Team’s perspective, it has been a great experience working with the MPS principals…and it seems the principals have felt the same way. This partnership began when the CALL Team visited MPS and introduced the school improvement system to a room full of principals and Instructional Leadership Directors (ILDs). The participating CALL principals also talked about their experience with CALL: how they implemented the system, used the CALL Data Feedback System to identify target areas, and worked to change particular practices in their schools. During the meeting, partners from WestEd also talked to the MPS leaders about their work with CALL how they will support the use of the system and implementing subsequent initiatives.

As a result, eight new MPS school leaders will be using the CALL System. In partnership with WestEd, and working with MPS ILDs, MPS principals will be capturing school-wide task-based instructional leadership data. The schools will administer the CALL survey in the spring; work with WestEd Coaches, ILDs, and the CALL Team to analyze the data; implement new initiatives or change in practice; and then re-administer the CALL survey next school year to compare year-to-year data. Since CALL is a formative assessment focused on growth, school leaders administer CALL at least yearly to determine change in data and therefore, change in practice. And, the ILDs and other MPS district leaders will utilize the CALL cluster view function to identify trends among schools and to identify school-by-school professional development needs.

Check back in for updates on this exciting project. The CALL Team is proud to be working with MPS—expanding the work in Wisconsin and in urban areas around the country.