Meanwhile, MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos recommended that the board extend Alliance's contract for another year. On March 9, 2010, the school received a two-year contract extension to improve its academics in a 5–0 vote. The board also agreed that an alternate means of assessment was needed to evaluate the value added the school brings to the district. Press coverage An October 2011 report on the ABC News television program 20/20, titled "Milwaukee Public Middle School a Haven for Gay Youth", concentrated on Alliance's unique role as the only known public middle school where out-of-the-closet students are not subject to harassment and pressure due to their sexuality, contrasting Alliance's open atmosphere to the persecution which drove young teens such as Jamey Rodemeyer to suicide. A report later that same month in Time magazine as part of their "What You Need to Know About Bullying" series focused on Alliance' role as a haven for students (not necessarily GLBTQ) who have been bullied at other schools. (A similar emphasis had appeared in a 2010 report in People magazine.) The Time article echoed the arguments against a separate school for children subjected to bullying, yet pointed out that lead teacher Tina Owen still "fields calls nearly every day from parents and administrators... about students who would like to transfer to Alliance", and mentioned that Alliance's charter "is likely to be renewed in the spring [of 2012] without much of a fight". A 2014 Huffington Post slide show article named Alliance as one of ten of "The Most Interesting High Schools in America". References External links Alliance School Homepage MPS website for Alliance Charter schools in Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 2005 High schools in Milwaukee Public high schools in Wisconsin Public middle schools in Wisconsin LGBT in Wisconsin 2005 establishments in Wisconsin