I once sort of believed in miracle school superintendents. If you just got a spectacular person to head a school system, there would be real improvement.
I’m more jaded now. I’ve seen superintendents come and go in Milwaukee Public Schools and I’ve followed what has happened in school districts across the nation. Superintendents rarely spark much improvement. A great one is valuable, but, as a rule, no one person has that much impact.
This said, I suggest that Darienne Driver is very important to MPS, and if MPS is to navigate with reasonable success some difficult waters ahead, Driver’s work will be crucial. That includes her potential role in dealing with Republicans in the Legislature who are likely to have proposals to change MPS, come next spring.
After two years as superintendent and four years in Milwaukee, Driver is the one person connected to MPS who just about everyone praises. From left to right, from union leaders to civic and business leaders to politicians of both parties, people speak highly of Driver. Lip service? In some cases. But it’s better than what most anyone else connected to MPS gets.