Oh, the irony. School named for Barack Obama 'fails to meet expectations', according to report card

© Soltesz

Obama Elementary

It is a sad twist of political irony with serious consequences for students. The only school in Wisconsin currently named for President Barack Obama rates quite dismally on a state report card designed to measure school success.

President Obama himself, according to the latest statewide survey by the Marquette University Law School, has an approval rating of only 41.4% in the state.

The Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education is part of Milwaukee Public Schools. It is located on North Sherman Boulevard in Milwaukee and during the 2012 presidential election the school served as a polling location.

According to data from the state Department of Public Instruction, for the 2013-2014 academic year the school, listed as Obama Elementary, scored 39.4 out of 100.

On a grading scale, that means Obama Elementary is well below failing. Only 14 schools fared worse on the state report card.

"Fails to Meet Expectations" reads the entry next to the school's score. Each school's score is calculated by looking at specific student achievement in areas like reading and math, and the school's ability to improve student scores, among other things.

Obama Elementary had its worst score in reading achievement, which came in at 2.2 out of 50.

The highest performing school in the state according to the numbered outcomes listed in the master DPI report card list was ALPs Charter School in Oshkosh. That school's total score for 2013-2014 was 97.8.

Under its new name, Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education, the school serves students K-12. Data is not yet available for the school's performance in its new format, but on its website the school claims:

"Barack Obama School of Career & Technical Education K-12 prepares students to successfully transition from one level of schooling to the next, and from school to career in a safe, positive learning environment. We provide our students with research proven educational methods in reading, math, language arts, science and social studies which align with the K-12 academic standards and Grade Level Expectations."

Top education bureaucrats in Wisconsin are calling for a massive increase in state funding for education, but a Media Trackers review of some spending by the Department of Public Instruction identified hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars spent by educators at resorts in Wisconsin Dells.