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Dr. Darienne Driver was appointed Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools effective October 1, 2014. As superintendent, Dr. Driver works with the Milwaukee Board of School Directors and district leadership to improve student achievement; engage in effective and efficient operations that make best use of district resources; and, develop opportunities to increase parental and community involvement.
Dr. Driver previously served as acting superintendent of MPS from July 1, 2014 until her appointment was made permanent. Dr. Driver joined Milwaukee Public Schools in July 2012 as the district’s first chief innovation officer. She led district efforts to improve outcomes in the schools in greatest need of improvement; oversaw the district’s implementation of the Wisconsin Common Core State Standards in literacy and mathematics in partnership with the GE Foundation and Student Achievement Partnership through the development of ten MPS-GEF Demonstration Schools; recruited multiple educational organizations to serve as partners in efforts to improve student achievement; and, oversaw the district’s contracted school services which serve students through alternative programming for at-risk students and non-instrumentality charter schools and turnaround models.
Prior to joining MPS, Dr. Driver served as deputy chief of empowerment schools for the School District of Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, she oversaw the empowerment schools efforts to increase achievement with large numbers of underperforming students and coordinated district efforts to provide needed support. Under her leadership, empowerment schools outpaced district schools on the Pennsylvania State System Assessment in reading and math. Empowerment schools’ high schools made the largest gains on PSSA in history in English/Language Arts and math. Prior to her work in Philadelphia she served as coordinator of strategic management and accountability and special assistant to the superintendent in Clayton County (GA) Public Schools.