Inner-city high school students in Milwaukee are having a harder time doing as well as their peers across the state, a new study reports.

The study found student gaps between high achieving and low achieving high schools are increasing, specifically for those in Milwaukee, Beloit and Menominee.

Based upon results from a skills exam administered to all 10th grade students in the state, the study reported that the bottom-performing 10 percent have dropped nearly 4 percent in only seven years.

And Milwaukee representatives are fully aware of their district's socioeconomic status and its effect on education.

"If you look at the bureaucratic system of education, the reports show that if you look at the poverty level you see that it affects the way students learn," Rep. Jason Fields, D-Milwaukee, said.

Fields said because 25 percent of Milwaukee residents live below the poverty level, these students must deal with issues preventing them from receiving the best education.

Phillip McDade, who conducted the study published by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, has several theories about why the gap is widening, most of them socioeconomic.

McDade said low-performing schools often share three similar characteristics: high poverty levels, less property wealth and lower income levels. Additionally, communities with higher average income tend to have more parents with college degrees, who subsequently have similar expectations for their children.

According to Fields, Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed Wisconsin Covenant program could alleviate the effects of economic disparity. The program would provide financial aid to qualified students who wish to attend a University of Wisconsin System school and meet academic and citizenship requirements.

While he does not see it as a cure-all, Fields said it is a good start.

"It helps us hone in on the children who really do want to make a better way for themselves," he added.

In order to increase achievement levels in Milwaukee, Fields said Wisconsin needs to look at the performance of teachers, not just students.

"We need an action that says 'If you aren't meeting this goal, we need to look at how effective you are within the system,'" Fields said. "No one is being punished for continuing to produce uneducated children. We need standards in place for teachers, and we don't have that."

According to McDade, the state often focuses on funding issues, not eradicating poverty, which is often the source of the problem.

"There is not a whole lot of difference in the money spent per child between high performing districts and low performing districts," he said, adding public policy often focuses only on increasing spending in low-performing areas.

When contacted, the State Department of Pubic Instruction (DPI) was unfamiliar with the recent report.

However, Joe Donovan, the DPI communications officer, said the department was aware of the problem.

He noted that state programs such as the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education Program (SAGE) have been implemented to help the achievement gap.

Donovan said that the program, which lowers class sizes, is "often used in schools that have a higher percentage of students that are economically disadvantaged."