UW-Milwaukee Office of Charter Schools

06/06/2023

I created a map showing the 2021-22 School Report Card results for all Public Schools in the City of Milwaukee. Check it out here:

2021-22 School Report Card Results for all Public Schools in Milwaukee

09/01/2022

Pandemic NAEP data coming in with yet more bad news: https://www.the74million.org/article/nations-report-card-two-decades-of-growth-wiped-out-by-two-years-of-pandemic/

Two decades of growth for American students in reading and math were wiped away by just two years of pandemic-disrupted learning, according to national test scores released this morning.  Dismal releases from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — often referred to as the “nat...

03/28/2022

Some thoughts about what might work to help students catch up after the learning losses from the pandemic.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2022/03/03/the-pandemic-has-had-devastating-impacts-on-learning-what-will-it-take-to-help-students-catch-up/

This may be a moment when decades of educational reform, intervention, and research pay off.

02/28/2022

Here's another interesting article about the effect of that charter schools can have:
https://www.the74million.org/article/analysis-new-research-confirms-that-charter-schools-drive-academic-gains-for-their-own-students-and-for-kids-in-nearby-district-schools/

Thirty years ago, when the charter school movement was just getting off the ground, devotees of big-city school systems worried that these new options would drain critical funding, hurt the kids who were left behind and make a system in which race played a central but often unacknowledged role even....

02/24/2022

It's not just about reading and math...

https://hechingerreport.org/three-elements-of-effective-schools/

Parents are often stymied by the process of picking a good school for their kids. Word-of-mouth recommendations can be misleading. High test scores provide only a limited picture of a school’s effectiveness since they often reflect family income with wealthier students scoring better. Northwestern...

12/01/2021

Our friends at the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools created this short informational video about charter schools - check it out!

What is a charter school? This video highlights the important distinctions between a public school and a charter school. Thank you to TruScribe for creating ...

11/29/2021

I think we all saw this coming, but that doesn't make it any easier to read. There is so much work to be done for children!

https://www.the74million.org/the-pandemic-exposed-the-severity-of-the-academic-divide-along-race-class-new-test-data-show-its-only-gotten-worse/

Despite promises to focus on the growing racial and income divide among the nation’s students, new fall testing data show academic gaps have worsened, falling heaviest on some of the most vulnerable children. While education researchers have sounded the alarm for more than a year — that pandemic...

10/26/2021

Pathways High, a school authorized by UW-Milwaukee, is featured in this article about mastery transcripts and the Mastery Transcript Consortium.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/10/20/crusade-end-grading-high-schools/?itid=sf_lifestyle-magazine

One educator is leading an effort to evaluate students differently. Can it catch on?

04/06/2021

Exciting news for Tenor High School - a high school authorized by the UWM Office of Charter Schools.

https://communityjournal.net/tenor-high-school-a-program-of-seeds-of-health-inc-is-expanding-to-n-vel-phillips-avenue-for-the-2021-2022-school-year/

More Milwaukee area high school students will have the opportunity to go to college, thanks to the forward thinking and innovative solutions of Seeds of Health Executive Director Marcia Spector. Tenor High School, a program of Seeds of Health will expand its program to 918-922 N Vel Phillips Avenue,...

09/14/2020

More great results from charter schools nationally and longitudinally!

https://www.educationnext.org/charter-schools-show-steeper-upward-trend-student-achievement-first-nationwide-study/

First nationwide study of trends shows large gains for African Americans at charters

08/20/2020

This article has some great insights and thoughts about the term "Achievement Gap". Interestingly, DPI is currently making some big changes to it's "Closing Gaps" measure on the School Report Cards too.

https://www.the74million.org/article/the-achievement-gap-has-driven-education-reform-for-decades-now-some-are-calling-it-a-racist-idea/

Correction appended For decades, a coalition of educators, politicians and activists have fixed one goal above all others in their mission to promote equity in education: closing the racial achievement gap. Its very existence — the stubborn divergence in standardized test scores between white stud...

06/22/2020

Some interesting research like this is starting to come out from the past few months of virtual learning in schools.

https://www.future-ed.org/whos-learning-under-quarantine-whos-not/

Much has been written about how the academic and social disruption from the coronavirus outbreak is all but certain to disproportionately affect students from disadvantaged groups. But another important distinction that has received little attention is the impact on students at different ages. A loo...

05/27/2020

Tenor and Veritas, 2 high schools chartered by UWM, have created special ways to honor their graduates this year. Check it out here!

https://patch.com/wisconsin/milwaukee/seeds-health-high-schools-prepare-virtual-graduation

Seeds of Health will hold virtual grad ceremonies for their almost 200 graduating seniors at Grandview, MC2, Tenor and Veritas High Schools.

05/20/2020

Challenging times for schools and the world, but here is an article about how a teacher at one of the two Rocketship schools that are authorized by UWM is giving her students a high quality education, even if it is remotely. Keep up the great work!

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2020/05/15/borsuk-teacher-working-hard-make-distance-learning-work-kids/5201940002/

Emily Suarez Del Real is convinced kids can make progress in education in this time of distance learning, even young kids.

01/14/2020

The Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools is having an online event called Charter Schools 101 for Families and Communities. If you're interested, sign up here!
https://www.smore.com/jg69d-wrccs-webinar?ref=email-content -1940790820

Family and Community Resources Check out some of our resources below!

12/13/2019

I have once again created a map showing the 2018-19 School Report Card results for all Public Schools in the City of Milwaukee. Check it out here:
https://www.mapyourlist.com/share/3Vyqz4oEu5

2018-19 School Report Card Results for all Public Schools in Milwaukee

10/21/2019

We had a great time celebrating our 20th anniversary and kicking off our 2019-20 Professional Development Series (sign up here: https://uwm.edu/education/charter-schools/power-of-connection-professional-development-series/) last week! Read all about it here:

https://uwm.edu/education/uwm-charter-schools-office-celebrates-20th-anniversary/

The Office of Charter Schools in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Education is celebrating its 20th anniversary during October. An Oct. 17 dinner and program on the “Power of Connection” at the Italian Community Center marked the anniversary. UWM’s... Read More

10/02/2019

29 seniors from Veritas High School have already been accepted at UWM for next year!

Seniors participated in the UW-Milwaukee onsite admissions event last week. We have 29 students who have already been accepted into UWM. Congrats to everyone who participated in this great event!

09/24/2019

More great findings about Early College High Schools, like Tenor High School, which is authorized by UWM!

https://www.air.org/news/press-release/early-college-high-schools-have-positive-impact-postsecondary-enrollment-and

Early College High Schools enable students to earn their high school diploma and up to two years of college credits simultaneously, and research has shown that these programs have positive impacts on graduation rates as well as postsecondary enrollment and success. A new, follow-up study by AIR find...

08/12/2019

This is great - a free intervention for 9th graders that looks like it works!!

https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/about/news/2019/tipton-growth-mindset-study.html?linkId=71697274

07/31/2019

This makes sense intuitively and seems relatively easy for families and schools to implement too!
https://phys.org/news/2019-07-students-greater-school-bullies.html

Research has shown that, despite great efforts, one in three children continue to experience bullying in school. However, research also has indicated that environmental and psychological factors might play an important role in minimizing bullying behaviors.

07/08/2019

Another relevant article today - Tenor High School, one of the schools in our portfolio, gives students the opportunity for dual completion of a high school diploma and a Milwaukee Area Technical College program certificate or technical diploma, and/or credits in a post-secondary degree program.

https://blog.ed.gov/2019/07/burning-questions-dual-enrollment-answered/

Imagine graduating from high school with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. You may think it sounds too good to be true, but dual enrollment programs can make this a reality for many high school students.

07/08/2019

This is interesting - I had no idea!
https://www.educationnext.org/obscure-educator-who-invented-charter-schools-ray-budde/

A new history is a reminder of Ray Budde’s remarkable achievement

04/15/2019

It's rare to find an article that highlights the important duties and responsibilities of charter school boards - this is a good read!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilylanghorne/2019/04/08/the-power-of-effective-school-governance/

School governance has a tremendous impact on the success of a charter school. Strong charter schools need strong charters boards, but effective governance often needs to be taught.

02/21/2019

Here's another innovative idea for a charter school!

https://www.the74million.org/article/creating-the-next-generation-of-digital-innovators-at-washington-d-c-s-first-computer-science-focused-middle-school/

Washington, D.C. “When I finish writing the statement, that cat will move,” promises Deshaunte’ Goldsmith, a sixth-grader at Digital Pioneers Academy Public Charter School. She presses enter on the keyboard and, sure enough, the animated cat on her screen begins to pace back and forth. Goldsmi...

02/20/2019

Here's a map of the 2017-18 School Report Card maps for all public schools in the city of Milwaukee:

https://www.mapyourlist.com/share/VNGYjcAzy1

2017-18 MKE Public School Report Card

02/20/2019

Here's a map of the 2017-18 School Report Card results for all public and choice schools in the city of Milwaukee.

https://www.mapyourlist.com/share/hbF97Yv_BL

2017-18 MKE Public & Choice School Report Card

02/19/2019

This article hits on so many of the things the school is doing to make it successful - coaching, personalized learning, small group instruction, trauma informed care, etc etc. There are so many things to consider in running a high-quality, high-performing charter school!

https://www.the74million.org/article/at-d-c-s-ingenuity-prep-personalized-learning-hasnt-replaced-teacher-time-its-put-the-focus-back-on-small-groups/

How one school is using co-teaching and computer-based learning to maximize the amount of individual attention each student receives Updated, Feb. 7 Washington, D.C. When Aaron Cuny and Will Stoetzer were thinking about how they wanted to structure their own D.C. charter school back in 2012, they ke...

01/30/2019

I know applying to high schools in Milwaukee can be quite a complex process too - this seems like a great idea!

https://www.qualitycharters.org/2018/11/chicago-authorizer-created-common-ground/?utm_source=NACSA%27s+Master+List&utm_campaign=273abbd8c5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_07_17_12_58_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9db2bde88f-273abbd8c5-102594481

This piece is part of our interactive, Authorizer Showcases, which highlight how authorizers around the country are tackling obstacles related to access and accountability. Good authorizers find solutions to barriers that prevent children from …

01/17/2019

Look at all those smiling and concentrating faces!

11/13/2018

This short video does a great job explaining the work of Charter School authorizers!

Ever wonder why charter schools are knocking it out of the park in some places, but not in others? The answer is authorizing, which can catalyze great charte...

10/16/2018

Way to go, Kaity Moquet, Lead Student Support teacher at Stellar Collegiate!

10/12/2018

Here's a great article about the different ways Universities work with charter schools: https://www.idahoednews.org/voices/collaborators-how-universities-and-colleges-work-with-public-charter-schools/

Some of the most exciting and powerful things happening in public education in America involve partnerships between public charter schools and higher education institutions.

09/18/2018

I love seeing how UWM Charter Schools like Seeds of Health Elementary (Windlake Elementary and Windlake Academy) engage with the community like this! Way to go, Seeds of Health Elementary!

09/05/2018

More adorable first day of school pictures - this time from Penfield Montessori. Welcome back kiddos!

What a great start to the school year! Parents: if you have 1st day of school pictures, feel free to tag Penfield Montessori. We're excited for this year's adventures ahead!

08/28/2018

First day of school pictures are the best! Welcome back, Bruce Guadalupe Community School students!

07/10/2018

Join Tracey Knight at her celebration of educators this afternoon! For more information and to RSVP, check out this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-after-school-affect-tickets-47828934631

I AM Tracey Knight is celebrating Educators! If you are a Teacher, Principal, School Staff or you just believe they are valuable IT'S HIGH TIME WE SAID THANK YOU! Join Us for “THE AFTER-SCHOOL AFFECT” Social Gathering on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm at ABV Social 11200 West Bu...

06/27/2018

This is a great story about an amazing partnership between Bruce Guadalupe and the Medical College of Wisconsin!