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Growing, successful Interfaith-MPS Tutor program seeks more volunteer tutors | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
October 3, 2013
As the growing and successful Interfaith-MPS Tutor Program stays on track to expand from 50 MPS elementary and K-8 schools in 2012-13 to 71 in 2013-14, MPS and Interfaith Older Adult Programs are seeking more volunteer tutors.
A majority of tutored students outscored national averages and/or saw their scores grow at a higher rate than MPS students who were not tutored, according to a review of district standardized test data, showing the tutors are valuable contributors to achievement growth in the district. In addition, the vast majority of teachers of tutored students reported those students had a positive change in attitude, a positive change in behavior, increased interest in learning and improved academic engagement, according to a survey.
Now MPS and Interfaith are seeking 300 new tutors to carry that success forward. More than 200 tutors are already on track to serve by the end of the fall.
“Everyone wants to feel like they have accomplished something worthwhile.  Offering time to children is a wonderful way to meet that goal.” says current tutor Sandy Szymkowski.  “When a child who was not reading in September is reading with confidence in May, I know that I have shared in that accomplishment.  There’s nothing greater than building a child’s self esteem and helping them continue to be successful in school!”
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The goal is to ultimately grow the program to serve more than 100 elementary and K-8 schools in 2015-16.
“We are so grateful for all of the work our tutors have undertaken and we’re grateful for their efforts to improve outcomes for our students!” MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton said.
“Our partnership with MPS and Senior Corps to recruit and place more tutors in elementary classrooms demonstrates the strong community commitment we all have for academic success in the district,” Lisa Bittman, Interfaith’s Executive Director said.
Volunteers should be 55 years old or “better” and must be willing to commit to spending 90 minutes per week in a classroom throughout the academic year. Tutors receive training to maximize their effectiveness when working with students – and spend the year working in the same classroom.
Tutors interested in volunteering should contact Robyn Wohlfeil of Interfaith at (414) 220-8657. Reporters interested in speaking with tutors, teachers and students should contact Tony Tagliavia, MPS media manager, at (414) 475-8675.

author: Milwaukee Public Schools


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Interim CEO rolls up his sleeves at SDC | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
October 3, 2013
George Hinton is no stranger to leading an organization. He served as President of Aurora Sinai Medical Center for four years and has now taken on a new task… Interim CEO at the Social Development Commission (SDC).
Hinton was selected by the SDC Board of Commissioners in September to take the Interim post at the anti-poverty agency while a search is conducted for a permanent CEO.  He comes to SDC from the Hinton Group which provides consultation to both for-profits and non-profits.  He also has management experience with INROADS, Inc. and Children’s Health System of Wisconsin as well as with Aurora Healthcare system.
He shared Tuesday with staff at SDC Richards his goals and vision for the agency.  He said he looks to help the agency continue to provide effective services to Milwaukee County residents.  “The mission of the agency is critical to the community” he told staff. He said he will look to continue existing best practices at SDC and to also seek areas where programs and services can be improved to better help residents.
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Mr. Hinton plans to immediately begin assessing the agency, its programs and practices so SDC can start to overcome challenges that it and other non-profits are facing these days.  He added that he looks to apply business models to the agency in making its operation more efficient while at the same time maintaining a compassionate approach in working with low-income residents.

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: October 3, 2013

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Social Development Commission


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Stay Strong Milwaukee RFP | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Community Advocates
October 3, 2013
Community Advocates is now accepting applications for the Stay Strong Milwaukee Project. Stay Strong Milwaukee funds are to promote alcohol and drug abuse (AODA) prevention activities in Milwaukee County.
Funding for Stay Strong Milwaukee is made possible through the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. Community Advocates will allocate approximately $250,000 in funding for calendar year 2014.
Deadline to Apply: 4:00p.m., Friday, November 1st
Bidder’s Conference: 3:00p.m., Monday, October 7th
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For more information, please visit our website.
For questions, please contact Kari Lerch, Prevention Services Manager at klerch@communityadvocates.net.

author: Community Advocates


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‘First of its kind’ program teaches Milwaukee businesses how to scale up | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 10, 2013
Daphne Jones, owner of Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, Inc., talks with employee Nick Reynosa at her plant at Martin Luther King Drive and Walnut Street. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Business owner Daphne Jones believes in having dreams. Hers include expanding her company, providing employment for more central city residents and strengthening the city and the state by inspiring and teaching other business owners how to expand.
Jones is getting help realizing those dreams from the “Scalerator,” a project of Scale Up Milwaukee, a pilot business development program sponsored by a group of local and national university, business and economic development leaders.
“I feel so jazzed about [the project]. I love to learn and I’m learning things that are going to help me do a better job and grow myself,” Jones said after attending two of the four day-and-a-half sessions being held at UWM’s Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, 1240 N. 10th St.
Daniel Isenberg, director of the Babson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project at Babson College, suggested that Milwaukee serve as the pilot city, after a group of Milwaukee business leaders, including UWM Chancellor Michael Lovell and businessman Sheldon Lubar, visited Babson to discuss how to improve the entrepreneurial climate here.
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“This project is the first of its kind in the country,” said project director Michael Hostad,
The Scale Up initiative consists of programs including workshops for UWM faculty on how to write about and teach business entrepreneurship, a conference on how large companies can strategically ally with small companies to benefit both and monthly roundtables with Mayor Tom Barrett, Hostad said.
(from front left) Jeff Goebout (back to camera) of Pho-Tronics, Daphne Jones of Malone’s Fine Sausage, Inc., Annette Tipton of Able Access Transportation LLC and Ugo Nwagbaraocha of Diamond Discs International. (Photo courtesy of Greater Milwaukee Committee)
The project’s goal is to provide the tools that these companies need to be able to grow and create a culture in Milwaukee that promotes entrepreneurship, Hostad said. “We’ve got strong support for start-ups but we may be lacking the next step, for start-ups to get larger and spur economic development,” he added.
Jones’ company, Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, Inc., is one of 11 area businesses selected for “Scalerator.” Along with Able Access Transportation and Bridge Logistics, it is one of three participating businesses located in the central city.
Scalerator was open to businesses throughout Wisconsin. Most applicants came from southeast Wisconsin, with some from the Fox Valley area, according to Hostad. “We were looking for companies with annual revenues of a couple hundred thousand to $5 million. We were also looking to see if they had the passion to grow,” he said.
Sessions are led by Isenberg and other professors from Babson College, widely considered one of the top academic institutions for business.  The participants work together in what Hostad described as “a mini-MBA program.”
“The classes have been very informative. They take you deep into the process of what it means, what it takes to grow,” said Jones, whose parents started the company as a corner store at 6 and Hadley streets. The company opened its present location at 300 W. Walnut St. It employs 12 people and produces 300,000 to 350,000 pounds of headcheese and country pate annually.
The interaction with fellow small business owners has been rewarding for Annette Tipton, who with her husband Steven Tipton founded Able Access Transportation in 2001. The company, located at 2620 W. Silver Spring Dr., provides non-emergency medical transportation.
“There are workshops that allow you to throw out a plan and have it critiqued and create an actionable plan. You can’t really pay for 10 business owners to sit down with you and say ‘do this’ and ‘don’t do that,’ “Annette Tipton said.
“We started with one van and kept growing. We now have 28 vans,” Tipton added. The company employs 28 people.
“We have upcoming meetings and workshops with lenders, the mayor and the governor. We will have a voice where otherwise our voices would not be there,” Tipton said.
Tom Haering, owner of Bridge Logistics, is taking steps to expand his supply chain services company after the challenges of the economic downturn forced him to scale back from 20 to 10 employees. He moved the business from Ozaukee County to 5700 W. Bender Ct. on the city’s North Side a year ago. Some of the company’s customers are located nearby, Haering said. He is interested in employing city residents and has already met with representatives at a local workforce-training center, he said.
“We felt very honored to be invited to participate in the Scalerator project,” said Haering who has attended with two of his employees. “We have to think out of the box, use all of the tools and facets that are around us to improve things,” he added.
“If we succeed, that will help the area. If we can prove that [this program] works, other companies can benefit,” Haering said.
Jones agreed. “If it becomes something consistent for people to be able to participate in, I think that would be such a blessing and a great opportunity to keep forging forward so that we literally are bridging the generations into the future,” she said.
Scale Up Milwaukee partners include American Express OPEN, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

created: October 10, 2013

author: Andrea Waxman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 10, 2013

author: Adam Carr


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Affordable health care counselors prepare enrollees, wait out technical issues | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
October 11, 2013
Andrew Nolen, 53, an out-of-work forklift driver, reviews paperwork as he enters the Outreach Community Health Center, 210 W. Capital Dr., where he sought guidance on health insurance. (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)
Counselors in Milwaukee who have been trained to help people sign up for health insurance have not been sitting on their hands as the federal government struggles to fix problems with the Healthcare.gov website.
Among other things, the delays have allowed counselors at various organizations around the city to help enrollees get an email address, which is necessary to enroll in the marketplace.
Many of the applicants “have never had an email address and they are not familiar with email and they want to learn how to use it,” said Jenni Sevenich, CEO at Progressive Community Health Centers. “So the application counselors have taken the time to educate them on email.”
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. has been scheduling appointments for later in October and November for individuals who want to enroll, according to Matthew Hayes, an administrator at the organization.
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Hayes said organization staffers have talked with about 50 individuals who are interested in enrolling in the marketplace.
“Even if the system was working perfectly, my advice to anyone who calls us is to wait,” Hayes said.
“It makes them better consumers to wait for all of the glitches to get out and then they will have a better chance to see all of their options,” he added.
The City of Milwaukee Health Department continues to see 10 to 15 walk-ins a day, and has received about the same number of daily phone calls since the marketplace opened on Oct. 1, according to spokesperson Sarah DeRoo.
“We are continuing to provide information to individuals and plan to follow up with them once we are able to access the system to ensure that they get the assistance they need in enrolling,” DeRoo said in an email.
The online marketplace is part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Consumers can shop on the online marketplace for insurance products, which vary in services they cover and premiums.
The Affordable Care Act mandates individuals to have insurance or pay a penalty, which is $95 the first year, or 1 percent of their income, whichever is more. In 2014, the penalty goes up to $325 per adult; and in 2016 and beyond, it is $695.
In addition to the penalties, there are risks to being uninsured. Health care costs are the leading cause of bankruptcies. In addition people without insurance are less likely to see a doctor regularly and are less healthy.
Officials at the Progressive Community Health Centers had not been able to enroll anyone until earlier this week, according to Sevenich. The organization has signed up seven individuals this week, she said.
Sevenich said she is not surprised by the delays. “I expected it would be jammed when it opened.”
The issues have been partly caused by heavy site traffic, which is a sign of high interest in the marketplace, she noted.
Officials at Progressive are telling individuals to be patient, assuring them that they have time to meet the Dec. 15 deadline for insurance that will kick in on Jan. 1.
“For the most part, they have been very patient and understanding,” Sevenich said.

created: October 11, 2013

author: Brendan O’Brien


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 11, 2013


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Help Needed for Halloween Spooktacular | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Journey House
October 11, 2013
Journey House will be hosting our 3rd Annual Community Halloween Spooktacular for families and children.  We need HELP with a few donations to continue to make this event a success.  Last year 603 people attended!
Costume Contest Prizes
All youth attending the Spooktacular will be able to participate in our Costume Contest.  Prizes will be awarded to a male and a female in each of three age levels: 6 & under, 7-12, and 13-17.  We are still in need of prizes for the 6 & under and 13-17-year-old age groups.  Please see our wish list below or contact us if you have an idea for a prize:
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Wish List
6 & Under: Remote Control Car, Jewelry-making kit, K’Nex/Legos/Other Connecting Toys
13-17 years old: iPad, iPad Mini, or similar tablet; Gift cards ($100-$200)
Food
• 60 packs of hot dogs
• 60-70 packs of hot dog buns
• Sides (500 individual bags of Potato Chips, Doritos, Sun Chips, etc.)
• 15 large bottles of Juice
• CANDY – CANDY and more CANDY!
Party Supplies
• DECORATIONS
• Halloween serving trays, bowls, platters, etc. (We will gladly return these items to you!)
Additional Food
• Booger Dip (cheese whiz & green food coloring) with pretzels
• Puking Pumpkin Guacamole (a puking faced pumpkin w/ guacamole coming out of his mouth on a platter) with tortilla chips
◦ OR Puking Pumpkin Veggie Platter (a puking faced pumpkin w/ dip coming out of his mouth on a platter) with veggies surrounding it
• Spooky Punch
• More CANDY..lots and lots of CANDY!!!!!!!!!
Volunteers are also needed to decorate (10am-3pm),  Please let us know if you or someone you know can help us out!
Please contact Cherise Myers at #414-647-0548 ext.104 or email cmyers@journeyhouse.org if you can donate!  Donations are needed on or before Thursday, October 31.  Please let us know prior to that date if you can help out in any way.  Also, visit our website for more or additional information regarding opportunities to give or help at www.journeyhouse.org.
Thanks for your help and support!

author: Journey House


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Stronger dads | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
October 14, 2013
Hundreds of dads gathered to learn how they can be more effective fathers during the 8 Annual Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit.
The men took part in the two-day event staged by the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative in partnership with the Social Development Commission (SDC). The fathers were inspired and informed with workshops, access to job and health resources, and being able to meet with Driver’s License Support staff and Milwaukee County Child Support case workers.  Information on the Affordable Care Act was also shared with summit participants.
The impact of the annual Fatherhood Summit can be shown in the example of one of the attendees, Shawn Muhammad.  The 42-year old Milwaukee man went to his first Summit three years ago. He said he was then able to access several programs and services including Driver’s License Recovery which helped him to earn back his license as well as successfully deal with other issues. He attended the latest summit in a much stronger place and credited the first Summit he attended for helping him focus his life and become the man he is today.
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Former Badger football star Jonathan Orr participated, sharing his gift of word and music to motivate the men and to proudly take on the role of fatherhood.  Grandfathers were also honored during the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit for the role they play in raising their children’s children. The Light of the World Youth Choir sang a song to grandfathers and grandmothers as part of that celebration.
The Fatherhood Summit was concluded with a stirring ceremony conducted by James Mosley of the Alma Center. In it, participants passed symbolically the legacy of fatherhood around a circle.  Participating men left the Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit with valuable information and resources that they will be able to use to become stronger fathers who will, in turn, create stronger families and stronger communities.

created: October 14, 2013


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Milwaukee evidence added to complaint against U.S. Bank | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
October 16, 2013
Boarded-up houses drag down property values in Milwaukee neighborhoods. (Photo by Scottie Lee Meyers)
An evaluation of about three dozen foreclosed houses in Milwaukee has been added to the ongoing federal complaint against U.S. Bank. The complaint accuses the bank of discrimination based on how it allegedly maintains and markets foreclosed homes.
The complaint, filed in April 2012 by the National Fair Housing Alliance, now includes evidence from Milwaukee. It alleges that the bank maintains and markets foreclosed houses in white neighborhoods “in a far superior manner” than it does in African-American and Latino neighborhoods.
Filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the complaint claims the bank is violating the federal Fair Housing Act.
“U.S. Bank’s actions have significant financial and health impacts on local governments, schools, neighborhoods and homeowners who live near these neglected properties,” said Shanna Smith, the president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, during a web presentation announcing the amended complaint.
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Foreclosed houses that are not properly maintained are not just an eyesore, but also attract crime. (Photo by Scottie Lee Meyers)
The broadening of the case was based on a Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council evaluation of 34 U.S. Bank properties in Milwaukee, 17 of which are in African-American neighborhoods, seven in Latino neighborhoods and one in a majority non-white neighborhood. The rest of the evaluated homes are in white neighborhoods.
More than half of U.S. Bank’s properties in neighborhoods of color had at least five deficiencies, which is twice as frequent than in white neighborhoods, said William Tisdale, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council.
Tisdale said 16 percent of the homes evaluated by his organization in non-white neighborhoods had 10 or more deficiencies. No homes in white neighborhoods had that many deficiencies.
“Milwaukee is a city of well-maintained neighborhoods. Residents take pride in their communities. U.S. Bank is not a good neighbor,” said Tisdale, who showed several photos of blighted houses in Milwaukee during the web presentation.
“U.S. Bank is hurting Milwaukee’s African-American neighborhoods by allowing homes to have broken windows, overgrown shrubbery and an accumulation of trash,” he added.
The properties shown by Tisdale also lacked “For Sale” signs, suggesting the bank is skirting its responsibility to properly market the houses.
Nicole Garrison-Sprenger, a spokeswoman for the bank, called the claims inaccurate, saying U.S. Bank is only a trustee of the properties in question. The bank has no legal right to service or maintain properties that are held in an investment pool for which it is a trustee, she said in a statement.
“We share (National Fair Housing Alliance’s) concerns about abandoned and neglected properties and we fully support efforts to maintain the integrity of our communities,” she said.
Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for Mayor Tom Barrett, said U.S. Bank has been a “good partner in a variety of different ways in addressing the foreclosure issue in Milwaukee.”
“As banks go, they have certainly been in the top tier of partners in addressing some of the issues associated with the foreclosure crisis,” he added.

created: October 16, 2013


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 15, 2013

created: October 15, 2013


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Grandfathers honored for being “the shoulders upon which we stand” | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alex Perry
October 17, 2013
Several hundred people paid tribute to 11 area grandfathers at the 2013 Grandfather Celebration, sponsored by the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative and the Social Development Commission.
Building on the celebration’s motto, “The Shoulders Upon which We Stand,” the grandfathers were nominated by family members.
“My grandfather took on the role as my dad; from providing for me, to giving me guidance, to teaching me to ride a bike, to assisting me with life lessons,” Cheykese Weathers said of her grandfather, Joe Weathers, in her nomination.
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Denise Patton wrote of Ronald Robinson, “He helps out financially, although he’s not able to work full time. He cooks, cleans and even washes their clothes . . . While challenged daily with his health, he continues to support his son, daughter-in-law and his grandchildren.”
The ceremony, which took place at Milwaukee’s Destiny Youth Plaza, 7210 N. 76 St., began with the grandfathers participating in a processional accompanied by the Paradigm Drumline and La Luz Mundo’s Light of the World youth choir.
Other children, including Jaylon Gentry and Amira Owens, presented readings. Jaylon read “A Tribute to All Grandparents” and Amira recited “Walk a Little Slower Granddad.”
In nominating her father, Michael Snowden, for a grandfather award, Shanelle Snowden asserted, “He still always finds time for his grandkids and the rest of his family. He is a man with great strength and faith and he always encourages me to keep pushing no matter how hard it might get.”
Alderman Willie Hines, Jr. presented awards to the grandfathers and shared his recollections of growing up in the city, and radio host and author Earl Ingram, Jr. spoke about becoming stronger, committed and loving grandparents.
Both the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative and the Social Development Commission offer resources and information for men to become better fathers and grandfathers.

created: October 17, 2013

author: Alex Perry


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10194996214_74a45970cb_c | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 16, 2013


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Cyclists applaud scenic slice of KK River Trail | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 18, 2013
People from nearby neighborhoods and throughout the city are enthusiastic about a scenic section of the Kinnickinnic River Trail that takes cyclists and pedestrians off busy city streets and onto a paved path along the river.
“It’s a lot more fun to ride on a trail along a beautiful river like this than to ride on a street,” said Sherman Park resident Dave Steele.
“I’m a lot more comfortable taking my kids out on a bike path than I am on the street,” he added.
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More than 100 neighbors and bike enthusiasts braved rainy weather to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the official opening of the trail.
The event marked the completion of the first phase of the Kinnickinnic River Trail, a 2.25-mile pedestrian and bicycle route that uses a combination of off-street paved trails and on-street bike lanes. This phase of the trail also is part of a bike route between the Bay View neighborhood and downtown.
It took many years of bureaucratic struggle to get approvals for the trail, said Mary Beth Driscoll, executive director of Groundwork Milwaukee. “There’s a new bridge over Chase Avenue and we’ve got lots of neighbors and bikers celebrating the fact that we’ve got a new connection to the South Side.”
Driscoll’s organization collected comments from community members to present to the city and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sanitary District about their wishes for the project. When 6 Street was rebuilt, it was designed with the trail underneath. Driscoll said that was really important because once the construction was finished, it was no longer possible to redesign it.
Twelve years ago, when Dave Schlabowske started working on bicycle advocacy, Milwaukee had about seven miles of bike lanes on the streets, he recalled. The city had no trails, said Schlabowske, communications director for the Bike Federation of Wisconsin.
“[Milwaukee has] added about 25 miles of bike trails, so we’re up around 90 miles of bike lanes in the last decade and this is one piece of that network,” he said.
The trail is part of the larger Kinnickinnic River Corridor revitalization efforts underway to improve health and quality of life for city residents, especially those living on the South Side.
“In my experience working on the South Side, there have been a lot of problems such as violence, drug activity; a lot of problems in the environment. So something in the environment for people to come and enjoy that’s beautiful and healthy is really good for the community,” said Chelsea Melendez-Kapitan of Greendale.

created: October 18, 2013


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 17, 2013


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Journey House Fashion Show | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Journey House
October 18, 2013
On October 26, 2013, Milwaukee’s Clarke Square neighborhood will become a fashion hot spot as Journey House presents its first fashion show, “Journey to the Runway, Dress to Give.” The event will take place from 6 -9:30 PM at the Journey House Center for Family Learning and Youth Athletics, 2110 West Scott Street, Milwaukee. All proceeds will go to support Journey House programs and services.
The season’s hottest trends for both men and women will be featured from fashion favorites including Banana Republic, Boutique Larrieux, Milano’s, Maurices, Serenitees, NL Suits and Milwaukee Wave. Guests will be treated to a Purple Carpet Reception complete with photographers followed by a 7 o’clock dinner and 8:15 PM show. Emcees for the evening will be Sue Black, Owner and President of the Milwaukee Wave, and Channel 12 New’s Marianne Lyles. Entertainment will be provided by Journey House youth performers (African Drummers and Cheerleaders) and DJ Camille Henderson.  Following the fashion show, guests will have the opportunity to purchase items featured on the runway, including jewelry from Holy Inspired.
Over 50 volunteers, a blend of professionals, Journey House participants and community members, will serve as stylists and models for the evening.  Models ranging in age from 18 to 70 plus will create one of the most ethnically diverse catwalks seen in a Milwaukee fashion show.
Tickets for the event are on sale for $80 each until Friday, October 18 via journeyhouse.org. Questions about sponsorship packages should be directed to Michele Bria at mbria@journeyhouse.org.
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Established in 1969, Journey House works with the community utilizing a self-help philosophy in order to increase education, reduce unemployment, lower the incidence of crime, strengthen the family structure and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. The organization, located in Milwaukee’s near south side Clarke Square neighborhood, served over 4,100 youth and families with its programs in 2012.  For more information about Journey House, visit www.journeyhouse.org.


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MPS, nonprofits hope synergy, energy can turn around Carver Academy | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rick Brown
October 21, 2013
City Year corps members, teachers and staff greet arriving students with smiles and “high fives” at Carver Academy. (Photo by Rick Brown)
Every weekday, City Year Milwaukee corps member Katy Amphlett, 23, arrives at 7:30 a.m. to take her place on the playground at the Dr. George Washington Carver Academy of Mathematics and Science.
Dressed in a bright red blazer, she waits with nine fellow corps members and staff to greet children emerging from a fleet of buses. The City Year team leads the pupils in cheers and activities ranging from reciting school pledges to hand slaps on “High-Five Thursdays.”
Amphlett is part of a unique multi-organizational effort to help turn around Carver Academy, 1900 N. 1st St., a struggling K-8 Milwaukee Public School with approximately 500 students located in Brewer’s Hill.
Overseen by Principal Janel L. Hawkins, who has led Carver since July 2012, three nonprofit organizations—Schools That Can Milwaukee, Teach for America – Milwaukee and City Year Milwaukee—have partnered with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to assist administrators, teachers and students at Carver throughout the school year.
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The collaboration is the only one of its kind in the city. Carver is the only school in Milwaukee—public or otherwise—to have the collaborative support of all three organizations at once, according to Isral DeBruin, manager of communications and development at Schools That Can Milwaukee.
“This effort is aimed at improving individual student achievement by using the synergy that the partner organizations, in conjunction with strong school leadership, can provide,” said MPS spokesman Tony Tagliavia. “Our vision for the school is to create a high-performing school that neighborhood families seek out for their children.”
Supported by a grant from Northwestern Mutual Foundation, the three nonprofits are working with Hawkins as she attempts to create a “culture of joy” at Carver, which survived a recommendation for closure as part of a long-term plan submitted to the MPS School Board in late 2011.
General Education Teacher Bryson Green of Teach for America leads his fifth-grade students in a discussion about stereotypes at Carver Academy. (Photo by Rick Brown)
Nonprofit Partnerships
MPS and the three nonprofits selected Carver because of its capacity and “significant room for improvement” as a K-8 school, according to Tagliavia. Carver had new leadership and teaching vacancies, both factors that made the school ideal for the collaboration, Tagliavia said.
“Each of our organizations is targeting a different aspect of the school, and by doing that we hope to accelerate the transformation of Carver under Ms. Hawkin’s leadership,” said Kole Knueppel, co-founder and managing director of school partnerships at Schools That Can Milwaukee (STCM).
The nonprofits began discussing collaborating strategically in a single school last fall, according to Jason Holton, executive director of City Year Milwaukee. In early 2013, the organizations identified Carver as an opportune site for “complementary” collaboration, and the partnership solidified over the course of the summer, Holton said.
STCM is assisting Hawkins directly through a team of leadership and instructional coaches. Four days a week, School Leadership Coach April Knox consults one-on-one with Hawkins to develop plans to improve Carver’s school culture and student achievement.
“We’re hoping to see consistent growth in one to three years,” Knox said. “Our goal is to see that each scholar is growing.”
The coaching team also provides professional development for Carver teachers. In August, STCM held a three-day teacher institute for Carver’s approximately 25 faculty members.
SCTM is providing some level of school leadership coaching this year to 34 schools, including Carver, according to DeBruin.
Teach for America – Milwaukee (TFAM) has bolstered Carver’s teaching ranks, placing four of its 119 corps members at the school as part of an effort to “close the achievement gap in low-income communities in Milwaukee,” said TFAM Executive Director Maurice Thomas.
One of them is Bryson Green, 23, a fifth-grade general education teacher. Assisted by mentors from TFA, MPS and Cardinal Stritch University, where he is a graduate student, Green instructs his pupils in social studies, reading and special activities.
An MPS graduate from the North Side, Green feels a strong connection with his students, who he says face social challenges and stereotypes.
“They’re not destined by society for college,” said Green, referring to his students, most of whom are black and from low-income families. “I want my students to have each and every option, and that’s why I’m preparing them now.”
Like his fellow TFA teachers, Green has a two-year commitment to teaching, but he hopes to remain at Carver longer to see his students graduate from eighth grade.
To help fill in the gaps before and after school, City Year Milwaukee (CYM) has committed 10 of its 74 corps members to Carver for the 2013-2014 school year.
Holton, who lives two blocks from Carver, said City Year corps members are there “before and after the bell rings” to support teachers in the classroom, provide one-on-one intervention, mentor small groups of students and provide after-school activities.
The corps members’ help in the classroom has been particularly useful, Hawkins noted.
“Our classrooms often have 25-30 kids in them,” said Hawkins. “Having that extra adult in the classroom has really helped us.”
Corps members such as Amphlett are tutoring small groups of students to help them develop math and reading skills and improve their confidence and behavior. Amphlett said students’ enthusiasm has been “phenomenal,” adding that each corps member will tutor the same group of students throughout the year.
“I’ve already seen my students make improvements,” Amphlett said. “They get enthusiastic about learning in the groups.”
All three nonprofits collaborated in a “service day” to ready Carver for the new school year in August. With support from JPMorgan Chase, team members beautified the school, picking up trash and installing murals and planters.
Carver also receives assistance from the national organization Playworks and the Brewer’s Hill-based Mount Zion Baptist Church, according to Hawkins.
The Last School Standing
Carver has dealt with poor performance and high turnover in recent years.
In November 2011, MPS’s Committee on Innovation/School Reform presented a recommendation to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors to close Carver, along with the 65th Street School, 68th Street School and Burroughs Middle School as part of its “Long-Range Facilities Master Plan,” primarily citing low enrollment relative to capacity.
Principal Janel L. Hawkins hopes nonprofit partnerships will help the Carver Academy regain its place as a “rich cornerstone” of the Brewer’s Hill neighborhood. (Photo by Rick Brown)
Of that group, Carver is the last school standing. Since that time, the 65th and Burroughs schools have closed, and the 68th Street School closed its doors to merge with the 81st Street School.
In December 2011, the board voted to allow Carver to stay open but froze its enrollment and opted to open Carver as a charter school in 2013-2014.
That decision stood until May 2012, when the board rescinded its earlier action and voted to re-establish Carver, setting aside the charter plan.
“It was ultimately decided that the school would be stronger as a neighborhood specialty school and we are committed to that plan,” Tagliavia said.
Poor student performance has been an issue for Carver in recent years. Carver students performed well below the Milwaukee district average for student achievement in 2012-2013, according to school report card data.
In 2012-2013, Carver’s total student achievement score was 19.2 out of 100, compared to a district average of 37.3 out of 100. The student achievement score measures composite student performance in reading and mathematics in the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS) and incorporates three years of data.
Carver also has faced significant staff and student turnover. In 2012, about half the staff left as expectations for student achievement rose, according to Hawkins. The issue has affected administrators.
“I think I’m the fourth principal in the last five years,” said Hawkins, who previously served as principal at Siefert Elementary School on the North Side for 10 years.
Additionally, the majority of Carver’s students come from outside its immediate attendance area, according to Hawkins. Most are bused, and few interact outside of the classroom.
“Our students come in on the bus and they leave on the bus,” Hawkins noted.
“A typical Carver scholar does not come from the neighborhood, may have some challenges, wants to do well, but really hasn’t been given some of the resources yet to figure things out,” Hawkins said.
Carver’s 2012-2013 school report card showed that 98.9 percent of the school’s students were economically disadvantaged.
Hawkins hopes to revitalize Carver and its students with the school’s newfound partnerships.
“The partnerships altogether have added energy in a place that was feeling a little defeated,” said Hawkins. “It’s made us feel like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel because we’re getting some support.”
Once Carver has developed a shared culture, Hawkins said, the next step will be to look at core curriculum areas, determine how to bridge content areas such as reading and social science, and begin to improve test scores.
In the meantime, Hawkins already has noticed changes.
“I can see that we’re moving in the right direction,” Hawkins said. “We still have a lot of work to do. But I’m already seeing sparks.”

created: October 21, 2013

author: Rick Brown


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 20, 2013

created: October 20, 2013


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Save the Date – Daddy Daughter Dance | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
October 21, 2013
Fathers will be able to celebrate their relationship with their daughters at the 11 Annual Daddy Daughter Dance.  The annual evening will be held Saturday, February 15, 2014 at North Division High School at 1011 W. Center Street.  The special evening is being coordinated by the Milwaukee Recreation Department in partnership with the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative and the Social Development Commission.  The goal of the event is to allow young ladies to build a stronger relationship with their fathers.  For more information and to pre-register, visit the Milwaukee Rec or SDC websites at http://milwaukeerecreation.net/daddy/ or www.cr-sdc.org.


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Fondy PumpkinFest Saturday Oct. 26 4-7pm | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Fondy Food Center
October 25, 2013
Enjoy a sparkling display of more than a 100 brightly lit, decorated jack-o-lanterns at Fondy Farmers Market’s PumpkinFest on Saturday, October 26th between 4 and 7 pm. PumpkinFest includes storytelling (with Marquette University Golden Eagle senior basketball forward Jamil Wilson), kids face painting, live music, pumpkin decorating contest, and free light refreshments – all free! Several farmers will also be at the Market selling produce during PumpkinFest. A limited number of prepared foods such as egg rolls will also be available for sale.  Earlier in the day – between 9am-noon – volunteers will be on hand to help shoppers select a free pumpkin that they can carve and decorate on-site and then submit into the PumpkinFest decorating contest. A free pumpkin will be given to the first 150 shoppers (kids or adults) who sign up for the decorating contest and carve or decorate their pumpkin on-site.
Fondy PumpkinFest October 26, 2013 Schedule of Events
Free pumpkins to first 150 shoppers and decorating help at Fondy Farmers Market (Note: free pumpkins to contest or display entrants ONLY)
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Deadline for submitting pumpkins into the pumpkin decorating contest or for display.
Kids face painting
:  Storytelling with Jamil Wilson, Marquette University Golden Eagle Basketball Senior Forward, and Sally Callan, Fondy Board of Director Vice President.
: Music with UWM Student Band
Pumpkin Decorating Contest Winners Announced
– Pumpkins can be taken home
Fondy Farmers Market is located at 2200 W. Fond du Lac Avenue. Free parking is provided in an adjacent lot. All activities are free and open to the public.
Enter your decorated pumpkin to win cash prizes! A team of local artists and business owners will judge the pumpkins and award cash prizes to 1st and 2nd place finishers in two categories: Traditional Carved and Nontraditional (painted, glued art, etc.).  There are four age categories: children 0-5, children 6-11, children 12-17, and adults 18 and over. The contest is free to enter and open to the public. Entry forms can be obtained at the Fondy Farmers Market Information Booth or downloaded at fondymarket.org/programs-and-events/upcoming-events.
All pumpkins that are entered into the contest or just provided for display purposes must be submitted to Fondy Farmers Market staff by noon on Saturday, October 26th. Pumpkins may be picked up and taken home at conclusion of PumpkinFest.
The 2013 PumpkinFest is sponsored by the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. In-kind donations are provided by Outpost Natural Foods and Milwaukee Web Design. For a full schedule and information on PumpkinFest sponsors, visit fondymarket.org.

created: October 25, 2013

author: Fondy Food Center


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New process ‘more respectful way’ to help homeless find shelter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
October 25, 2013
A new process for helping people who are homeless find shelter is launching over the next 10 months.
Under the new system, people seeking shelter will contact IMPACT 2-1-1 and trained staff will consider their individual circumstances and refer people to the appropriate shelter.
This “coordinated entry” process will simplify shelter access for homeless people and allow shelters to create consistent requirements, share resources and focus on managing individual cases and providing services to clients.
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“It’s a more respectful way to serve people,” said Donna Rongholt-Migan, executive director of the Cathedral Center, a shelter for homeless women and families.
Traditionally, a person would call an emergency shelter and beds would be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, Rongholt-Migan explained. If the shelter had no room, shelter staff would refer callers to other area shelters.
Project Homeless Connect included a “clothing pantry.” (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“With the coordinated entry process we can prioritize families in most dire need,” Rongholt-Migan said. In addition, IMPACT 2-1-1 will screen callers for mental or physical disabilities and serious illnesses, ensuring a faster intake process after they arrive at a shelter. People don’t have to make multiple calls, and IMPACT 2-1-1 coordinates with all eight participating shelters.
“This takes the burden off the case managers and allows them to focus on the needs of the people at the shelter,” Rongholt-Migan added.
Since 2008, the Cathedral Center has partnered with IMPACT 2-1-1 on a similar program that formed the basis for the coordinated entry program, Rongholt-Migan said.
Having IMPACT 2-1-1 take over this central role in coordinating shelter access makes sense, Rongholt-Migan said, because it already had a 211 telephone hotline to connect people in crisis to resources. IMPACT INC. has been providing programs and services for people in need for more than 50 years.
IMPACT 2-1-1 can be reached 24 hours per day, seven days per week by dialing 2-1-1. Clients can also text their ZIP codes to TXT-211 (898-211) or chat live with a community resource specialist at www.impactinc.org/impact-2-1-1.
Homeless families are the first to benefit from the new process. The Cathedral Center, Salvation Army and Community Advocates Family Support Center already have implemented the program. Victims of domestic violence, homeless youth, veterans, single women and men will be phased in.
The new central contact number was promoted recently at Project Homeless Connect, a resource fair for homeless people.
Charlotte Taylor and John White visited the fair looking for a place to live together. Taylor has no income and has used up the therapy sessions she was allotted for her mental health issues. Without the means to buy or rent a place to live, Taylor has been moving to one shelter after another. In January, she married White, who was living in a different shelter.
The two were among an estimated 400 homeless people who attended Project Homeless Connect at Marquette University. More than 300 volunteers escorted visitors from Weasler Auditorium to the Alumni Memorial Union, where all four floors featured information booths, health screenings, medical, legal and social services, as well as clothing, a meal and personal hygiene items.
The fourth annual event was hosted by the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, a consortium of more than 100 agencies serving people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. In 2010 the coalition launched a 10-year plan to end homelessness.
Project Homeless Connect is a national movement that focuses on ending homelessness.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 24, 2013

created: October 24, 2013


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Banner School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 27, 2013
The Banner School of Milwaukee, an MPS-authorized charter, serves middle-school students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Banner educational group, a national education management association.
The new school, located at 7171 W. Brown Deer Road, is Banner’s second partnership with MPS, though Banner Prep, an MPS alternative school serving at-risk students, is not a charter.
Theresa Yeldell, executive director at Banner, said the organization decided to open a charter so it could be more independent than a traditional MPS school. Yeldell, an educator for 43 years who ran schools in Boston, Alexandria and now Milwaukee, said a charter school offers the flexibility to give students ”the Banner experience.” It also fills a gap, since there are very few middle schools in MPS.
Yeldell said this is awkward for students. “They’re either big elementary kids or little high school kids.”
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The school utilizes a framework developed by James P. Comer, a professor of child psychiatry at Yale and an authority on childhood development and education, to teach inner-city children. It’s based on six developmental pathways: social interactive, psycho-emotional, ethical, cognitive, linguistic and physical. The framework integrates child development and academic content.
Banner middle school has a capacity of 240 students and will have 12 teachers when fully staffed. Organizations partnering with the school include Teach for America, the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and Make a Difference-Wisconsin. Yeldell said community partners are important to show students, most living in poor neighborhoods, that there is strength in their communities.
“We want our kids to understand that richness in life isn’t about money,” Yeldell added. “It’s about the family and the community that they’re part of.”

created: October 27, 2013

author: Edgar Mendez


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Rocketship Southside Community Prep | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 27, 2013
(Photo by Shakara Robinson)
Rocketship Southside Community Prep, chartered by the City of Milwaukee, is part of Rocketship Education, a national network of elementary school charters. The school has enjoyed a high level of support from businesses and other entities and has raised $2.5 million in local private start-up funds.
The 300-student school, at 3003 W. Cleveland Ave., has received funding from the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), the Bradley Foundation and Walton Family Foundation.
Gregory Thornton, superintendent of MPS, called partnerships between businesses and individual schools unsustainable. “You can’t raise $3 million for every new school that comes to town,” Thornton said at a conference sponsored by the Public Policy Forum.
Vanessa Solis, regional manager for community development at Rocketship, said the business community is committed to supporting schools such as hers for good reason. Businesses need highly educated workers and believe the school will be successful.
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“They’ll eventually pull out of Wisconsin if they don’t have an educated workforce,” Solis said.
The school’s curriculum is based on a blended model of learning consisting of technology-mediated instruction and mixed-mode instruction, according to principal Brittany Kinser. Along with individual tutoring, students spend time in a daily “learning lab,” during which they work on math and reading using computer software designed for their age group and grade level.
Parents are required to spend 30 hours a year volunteering at the school. Parental involvement is key to building a school community, according to Kinser. She said the school hosts monthly meetings, workshops for students and parents, and conducts home visits to strengthen ties with the school.
“We’re trying to ensure that all parents are a part of this in a tangible way and that they view Rocketship as an extension of their community,” she added.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 27, 2013


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Woodlands East School | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 27, 2013
Maureen Sullivan is the principal of Woodlands East. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Woodlands East, authorized by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is the second Woodlands charter and serves 102 students. This year, the school houses K-4 through second grade students, but will expand by one grade level each year until it’s K-8.
Growing by one grade level each year allows the school to mold young students in the “Woodlands way,” said principal Maureen Sullivan, who added that it generally takes students four to five years to become acclimated to a school’s culture.
High demand and a waiting list at the original Woodlands led to the opening of the new school, located at 3121 W. State St. Woodlands’ board members felt that partnering with UWM, which authorizes both schools, was a good fit due to its stringent standards for recertification, Sullivan said.
UWM demands accountability, according to Sullivan. “They hold you to very high standards.”
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Sullivan said her school focuses on creating lifelong learners, placing a heavy emphasis on basics such as social studies, science and math, while also including instruction in the fine arts and a foreign language. Woodland’s students begin receiving French instruction in K-4 and K-5. The K-4 and K-5 students share a classroom and teachers, as do the first and second graders.
Sullivan said Woodlands also places a strong emphasis on parental involvement. Parents are required to volunteer 15 hours a year and also are asked to bring their child to school each day.
“When families and schools are committed children will succeed,” she said.


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Special Report: Fewer MPS charters, declining enrollment add up to lost revenue | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 28, 2013
Madame Hinkley teaches French to K4 and K5 students at Woodlands East, a UWM-authorized charter school. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Despite the benefits to Milwaukee Public Schools of authorizing charter schools, MPS is currently chartering 29 schools, nine fewer than it did two years ago, while the number of independent charter schools in the city continues to rise.
Independent (non-MPS) charters “are pulling money away from the district,” especially if their students were previously attending MPS, said MPS spokesperson Tony Tagliavia. Tagliavia said the district loses $8 million annually from students attending non-MPS charters.
Twenty-two independent charter schools are now operating in Milwaukee compared to 20 last year and 18 the year before (See “Change in number of MPS and non-MPS charter schools, 2009 – 2013”). Independent charters can be authorized by the City of Milwaukee, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside or MATC. UW-Parkside and MATC have no charter schools in the city.
Although MPS enrollment increased slightly this year, up by 41 students, over a nine-year period from 2003 to 2012 the district lost 19,000 students, an average of 2,110 a year (See Charter school enrollment growth, 2003-2012). Many of these students are now enrolled at independent charters and some at private (“choice”) or suburban schools.
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Tagliavia said the decrease in the number of MPS-authorized charters is the result of mutual termination of charter contracts, one non-renewal, and MPS charter schools reverting back to traditional schools.
As for the students who leave, “we are not able to fully adjust for that loss,” Tagliavia said.
He explained that legacy costs — such as retirement benefits for staff — remain the same regardless of the number of students the district serves. In addition, MPS pays for busing non-MPS students.
In contrast, charter schools authorized by MPS bring in revenue as a result of fees for services including pupil transportation, consulting, maintenance contracts and even MPS instructors. Yet, the number of charter schools authorized by MPS has decreased 23 percent since 2011.
MPS would benefit from opening more charter schools and getting the funding associated with the increase in students, according to Christian D’Andrea, education policy analyst for the MacIver Institute, a conservative Wisconsin-based think tank. Per-pupil state aid to MPS schools is $6,442.
New charter schools go through an application process that differs by authorizer. Schools are free to apply to any of the authorizing bodies, including MPS.
The decline in MPS charters and increase in independent charters comes down to the quality of schools, said D’Andrea. “The MPS charter schools sector is not growing because the MPS charters are not performing well,” he asserted. “If MPS wants to get more students back they need to learn from the examples of the independent charters, which have shown great success.”
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Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service looked at three charter schools that opened this fall: Banner, chartered by MPS; Rocketship, chartered by the City of Milwaukee; and Woodlands East, chartered by University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
The Banner School of Milwaukee, an MPS-authorized charter, serves middle-school students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Banner educational group, a national education management association.
[Read More]
Woodlands East, authorized by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is the second Woodlands charter and serves 102 students. This year, the school houses K-4 through second grade students, but will expand by one grade level each year until it’s K-8.
[Read More]
Rocketship Southside Community Prep, chartered by the City of Milwaukee, is part of Rocketship Education, a national network of elementary school charters. The school has enjoyed a high level of support from businesses and other entities and has raised $2.5 million in local private start-up funds.
[Read More]
Data reported by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) show that on average independent charters outperformed MPS schools, including charters, during the 2012-13 academic year, although 53 percent of the independent schools tested did not meet expectations. Only 40 percent of MPS-authorized charter schools fell below expectations, but data were unavailable for eight schools.
Tagliavia said MPS only seeks out new charter schools that have successful models and offer an innovative approach that meets a need within the district’s portfolio of schools.
The recently opened Banner School, an MPS charter, is one example. The middle school is part of the Banner Educational Group, a national education management association. Middle schools are rare in MPS.
Declining enrollment
In 1997, more than 101,000 students were enrolled at MPS, the highest total in the past two decades. In 2003, the year the steady decline began, more than 97,000 students were enrolled in the system. Today, the number has dropped to 78,502, including students at MPS charter students.
From 2003 to 2012, enrollment in independent charters increased by nearly 4,000 students, according to DPI data. Statistics showing how many of those students left MPS are not available. MPS charter enrollment increased by only 1,653 students in that period, even though MPS has more charter schools.
Maureen Sullivan, principal at Woodlands East, a recently opened UWM charter school, is not surprised that MPS is losing students to schools such as hers. The new school, at 3121 W. State St, is the second Woodlands charter authorized by UWM. The original Woodlands school is located at 5510 W. Bluemound Rd.
Sullivan said schools such as Woodlands East are providing better options for students, adding, “If you did a really good job, children wouldn’t leave,” referring to MPS.
School board member Tatiana Joseph countered that MPS authorizes numerous charter schools that have been extremely successful, citing ALBA School and Carmen High School, both located at 1712 S. 32 St., as examples.
She said many independent charters enter the market touting innovation and diversity, but that MPS charters provide the same benefits, in addition to better services, including special education, more qualified teachers and bilingual programs.
“We need to do a better job of getting into the communities and promoting all the positives our charter schools have to offer,” Joseph said.
However, Joseph said, opening more charters in not the solution. She said the focus should be on creating better opportunities for MPS students and improving the quality of schools in general.
“We can’t just open charter schools for the sake of opening charter schools,” Joseph said.
While MPS-chartered schools decreased 20 percent, from 35 to 29, between 2009-10 and this school year, the number of city-authorized charters doubled, from five to 10. Part of the reason could be the proactive approach city leaders have taken in recruiting successful charter school operators to the city.
For example, Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Willie Hines flew to California in 2011 to see the Rocketship schools, run by Rocketship Education, a network of public elementary school charters. The Common Council approved the first Rocketship school in November 2011, and voted to allow the network to open up to eight K-5 schools in Milwaukee. Rocketship Southside Community Prep School opened this year at 3003 W. Cleveland Ave.
Despite the numbers, MPS has been quite active in seeking out new charters, said Alan J. Borsuk, senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University.
He cited authorization of the Universal Milwaukee Charter School, run by Universal Companies in Philadelphia and the 2011 opening of a new Milwaukee College Prep campus as evidence of MPS’s efforts to regain students.
Still, in years past, Borsuk said, “they (MPS) were chartering lots of schools and weren’t proving anything.”
D’Andrea noted that the district needs to convince MPS parents and students that their schools are effective. “They need to increase the quality of education if they want to increase their enrollment.”
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
State aid per pupil in MPS charter schools is $6,442, not $7,775 as originally reported.

created: October 28, 2013


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 28, 2013


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nns_specialreport_trimmedii | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 27, 2013


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Low-income students share gratitude and give back | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
College Possible
October 29, 2013
For National Make a Difference Day, October 26, College Possible Milwaukee went “trick-or-reading” in neighborhoods around Milwaukee for a children’s book drive to support the elementary school students of Marquette University’s Hartman Literacy and Learning Center.
Dedicating their Saturday to the cause, more than 175 College Possible students, staff, and service corps members traveled door-to-door in Milwaukee neighborhoods to collect new or gently used children’s books for donation to the Hartman Literacy Program, which provides tutoring to students in 2nd through 5th grades who are behind their reading levels.
Students from the 10 College Possible partner high schools worked together to collect books in the neighborhoods surrounding their schools in the morning. Then, all gathered at Riverside University High School in the afternoon to make encouraging cards for the younger students in the Hartman Literacy Program.
“There was a lot of support within the community. People thought it was a great program and that we should do this again next year,” said Llyswen, a College Possible junior coach.
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College Possible makes community service a key component for the low-income students it serves. College Possible services are no-cost to students, but in return they are expected to participate in at least two community service projects a year.  By encouraging students to develop an ethic of service, College Possible helps them see their own potential for making a difference in their communities and they develop leadership skills. Additionally, College Possible’s emphasis on service aligns with the Milwaukee Public School District’s recently added graduation requirement of twenty hours of community service or a service learning class.
“I did have a lot of fun, but it was also really productive and a good opportunity to give back to the community” said Marco, a student from Saint Thomas More.
In total, College Possible gathered hundreds of books and made over 300 cards.
At the end of the event, Cailin Santy Hostad, a program coordinator from the Hartman Literacy and Learning Center, spoke to all the students involved. “All of you guys have your sights set on college, so you know how important education is…I know that the kids will be thrilled, the Marquette students will be thrilled, and you just made our program that much better.”

created: October 29, 2013

author: College Possible


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Youth are on a quest to reclaim a Safe Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Safe & Sound
October 29, 2013
“A community is only as good as its people,” is the message a group of teenagers want to convey in a painting they recently completed called .
The painting will be displayed in the exhibit Stand-Up, Speak Out and Make Some Noise:  Reclaiming a Safer Milwaukee.  For the exhibit, youth are exploring violence, anti-violence and substance abuse themes and issues that concern them.  Art from the exhibit will be on display for 10 days from Oct. 28 – Nov. 8 during business hours in the lobby of the Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway St.
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Coming together to mark this year’s Crime, Bully and Substance Abuse Prevention Month, October, the young people are raising their voices against violence and substance abuse using art as a means of self-expression.  They represent several of the Safe & Sound Safe Places afterschool programs, including Agape Community Center, B&G Fitzsimonds, B&G Mary Ryan and Urban Underground.  Also displaying art created by youth at their Safe Place sites will be ArtWorks for Milwaukee and Hmong American Friendship Association.
Joining the arts against violence workshop to assist the young people with their projects have been college students from the Marquette University Volunteer Corps.  The group of seven students, mainly freshmen and sophomores, is taking part in this newly formed service program for the opportunity to give back, build personal relationships and engage with the teens.
Youth were asked to create works of art focusing on the prevention of bullying, violence, gang activity or substance abuse, or to share their vision of a safer, healthier community.   Through the workshop, youth have been able to visually promote a culture of nonviolence, while inspiring open dialogue among themselves and the Marquette students.  They hope to spark a broader community conversation as well.
The youth will be joined by parents and Safe Place staff to view the exhibit when it opens from 5:30 – 6:30 pm on Monday, Oct. 28.  The arts against violence workshop and exhibit is a joint initiative of Safe & Sound, Inc., the Violence Prevention Initiative of the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Marquette University Volunteer Corps in conjunction with the aforementioned community partner organizations.

author: Safe & Sound


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 29, 2013


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Neighborhoods eye five key city budget items | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Brendan O’Brien
October 30, 2013
The city plans to spend $1.8 million to replace and renovate neighborhood libraries, including the Forest Home Library on the South Side. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
The City of Milwaukee Common Council is expected to approve a $1.4 billion budget for 2014 on Friday.
Below are the top five issues in the proposed budget that are likely to affect low-income communities:
New Police Officers, Inspectors
The budget allocates $2.7 million for 100 new police officers to be hired in 2014. Another $1.8 million will be spent on 50 police officers who were hired in mid-2011 with federal stimulus funding.
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The proposal also would put more officers on the street for community policing duties, instead of behind desks performing crime and personnel analysis. In 2014, the police department is expected to transfer the data-crunching responsibilities to eight civilian crime analysts.
The budget adds two special enforcement inspectors in the Department of Neighborhood Services. These inspectors would work in neighborhoods, investigating nuisance complaints typically involving drug houses, taverns and party houses.
The budget proposal would put 100 new police officers on the street. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“Many of these violations occur on evenings and weekends and involve repeated complaints because these violations are more difficult to abate,” according to the spending plan.
Foreclosures
The budget includes a multi-year strategy to rejuvenate and transform the city’s neighborhoods. One of the main elements of this strategy is to address foreclosures.
The city expects the number of tax-foreclosed properties, which stands at 1,052, to increase in 2014, while the number of bank-owned foreclosures has begun to level off to pre-2008 levels.
As part of the strategy, the city plans to spend $11.7 million to prevent and eliminate blight, redevelop city-owned properties and create a plan to reuse city-owned land.
Earn & Learn Program
Since 2005, the Earn & Learn program has matched more than 16,000 young people with employment opportunities where they can learn meaningful skills and “develop positive work habits that last for a lifetime,” according to the spending plan.
The city plans to invest $300,000 for 120 Earn & Learn job placements in 2014.
The funds also would be used to pay for a youth development coordinator in the Department of City Development, who would recruit private sector employers to participate in the program.
Neighborhood Libraries
The proposed budget earmarks $1.8 million for reinvestment in neighborhood libraries. The money would be used to replace the Forest Home and Mill Road libraries and to renovate the Tippecanoe Library.
“Neighborhood libraries serve multiple community purposes and access to high quality facilities encourages frequent use by neighborhood residents,” according to the proposal.
The spending plan also allocates $100,000 for the Teacher in the Library program. The program, at seven libraries throughout the city, puts certified teachers in libraries where children can get help on homework assignments and advice on how to improve their study habits.
“Teachers also provide support, counseling and advocacy for the parents and caregivers of participating children,” according to the budget document, which noted that three out of every four students who participated in the program since it began in 2011 said it helped them gain a better understanding of their school work.
High Impact Street Program
The city plans to spend $3 million in 2014, up from $1 million in 2013, to improve the street pavement conditions in neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee.
The money would go to repairing streets that are not scheduled for full reconstruction. A grinding and asphalt overlay technique would disrupt traffic patterns for only two to three days, while extending the life of the roadway by up to seven years.
The program’s goal is to improve streets that have a relatively high traffic count and serve an employment or commercial center.

created: October 30, 2013


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Residents invited to “Walk With A Doc” in Washington Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin
October 30, 2013
A first-of-its-kind program in Milwaukee will begin in the Washington Park neighborhood on Saturday, November 2nd, giving residents the opportunity to learn from and walk with a physician.  The free “Walk with a Doc” program, being sponsored by Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, is being offered on the first Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. Walkers meet at the Washington Park Pool, hear a 10-minute overview of a health topic and then walk with the doctor who answers questions during the 30- to 40-minute walk.  Walkers do not need to register and are encouraged to arrive at the Washington Park Pool just before 10 a.m.
This weekend, Dr. Madelaine Tully, a family practice physician at the Lisbon Avenue Health Center, will share her time to walk with residents and answer questions.  Doctors from various specialties will host each month’s walk.
Research shows that increasing exercise, even moderately, can reduce the risks of many diseases, including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and breast and colon cancer.  Research show that a person can gain two hours of life for each hour of regular exercise, he said
Froedtert is pleased to join together with its many partners in the Washington Park area who are collaborating to improve the well-being of this neighborhood and its residents.
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A free program, Walk with a Doc is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle to improve health and well-being. Programs exist in nearly 30 states, with Froedtert & The Medical College being the first health care network to offer it in Wisconsin.
The Walk with a Doc program has had tremendous participation and success in many cities around the country.  It has shown improved health results for many people and the program’s supporters believe it will do the same for Washington Park.
Dr. David Sabgir, Walk with a Doc founder, said “We are honored to team up with a local hospital to offer our program in Milwaukee.   In bringing our Walk with a Doc program to the Washington Park Neighborhood, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin is demonstrating an exceptional level of caring and commitment to their community”
For additional information, call 414-805-0863.


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Special SDC District 3 board election | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Social Development Commission
October 30, 2013
Residents of Milwaukee’s Westside will have the opportunity to select a new representative to the Social Development Commission (SDC) Board.
A Special Election for SDC District Three will be held Friday, November 15 between 8am and 6pm.  The polling location will be in Veterans Center located at 3430 N. Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.  SDC’s District 3 runs from Dr. ML King Drive on the east to N. 60 Street on the west and from Pierce Street on the south to Locust on the north.  To vote, a person must be at least 18 years old and a resident of SDC District Three for at least ten days.
Residents will be asked to write in the name of a District 3 resident on the ballot.  The winner of the election will serve the remainder of the three-year term representing the residents of the district on the 18-person SDC Board of Commissioners. The previous Commissioner for SDC District Three who was elected this past April recently resigned to run for an open State Assembly seat.  The SDC Board helps create and implement policy for the anti-poverty agency which serves Milwaukee County.
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To see the boundaries of SDC’s District Three, visit the SDC website at www.cr-sdc.org/DefaultFilePile/PDF/District-Maps/District3.pdf.


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Candy-flavored tobacco products lure underage smokers, report warns | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
October 31, 2013
Emme Chavez, teen outreach specialist for the Wisconsin Hispanic Tobacco Prevention Network, holds packaging from a candy product (left) next to two candy-flavored tobacco wrappers. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Teens who are buying their own Halloween treats are as likely to find chocolate-flavored cigars on the candy counter at some corner stores as M&Ms, Hershey bars or Good & Plenty.
Flavored cigars, which have become increasingly common over the years, appeal to teens due to their fruity flavors and because packaging is designed to look similar to many popular candies, said Emme Chavez, teen outreach specialist for the Hispanic Tobacco Prevention Network in Wisconsin.
“Plus they’re extremely cheap,” Chavez said.
A recent Center for Disease Control (CDC) study found that more than 40 percent of teens who smoke use candy-flavored cigars and cigarettes. The report, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first to measure the percent of youth smoking the products. The study also found that 60 percent of teens who smoked flavored cigars didn’t plan on quitting.
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The report warns that masking a tobacco product’s taste doesn’t make using it less dangerous.
Flavored tobacco products can be found on the counter next to candy in central city stores. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
“Flavored or not, cigars cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease and many other health problems,” stated Tom Frieden, CDC director, in a press release.
Teens get their hands on candy-flavored cigarettes and cigars from shop owners who ignore the law, or by asking adults to purchase the products for them, said Tina Rivera, program coordinator at the Tobacco Prevention Program at UMOS.
States tax flavored cigars and cigarettes at lower rates than regular cigarettes, making them more affordable for cash-strapped teens, added Chavez. For example, one store near South 9 and West Mitchell streets sells a three pack of large grape-flavored cigars for a dollar.
The “Backpack Tobacco Act,” proposed recently in the Wisconsin state legislature, would close the tax loophole. If approved, the legislation would equalize the tax rates for all tobacco products.
Tobacco products are illegal to purchase or use for anyone less than 18 years old, but 12 percent of Wisconsin teens smoke, according to CDC data.
“I’ve gone into stores and bought a flavored cigarillo (cigar),” said Marlon Tirado, 18, who participated in a program two years ago aimed at identifying South Side shopkeepers selling tobacco products to minors. Tirado volunteers with Rivera and is a member of the Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco teen group.
Rivera said shop owners target kids, often placing flavored cigars and cigarettes on shelves near candy or on the front counter.
She calls the practice “immoral,” adding, “Parents can barely tell the difference between the flavored cigars and candy so how are kids supposed to?”

created: October 31, 2013


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 30, 2013


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Insurance companies optimistic about Affordable Care Act | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
November 1, 2013
Representatives from the four health insurance companies selling plans to Milwaukee County residents on the Affordable Care Act marketplace said they are upbeat about the future of ACA at a forum hosted by the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin.
“I am absolutely positive that a lot of people are going to be helped,” said Keenan Jones, sales consultant at WPS Health Insurance. Arise Health Plan, a wholly owned subsidiary of WPS, is offering insurance plans on the health insurance marketplace. Jones and his team are seeing strong demand for information about the new health insurance plans, he said.
Elizabeth Benz, director of community outreach at Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin, agreed. “We are optimistic about the Affordable Care Act. We think it’s going to be a good thing for people and we think the system is going to work in the long run.”
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The ACA was designed with a focus on consumers’ needs, according to Daren Allen, vice president of business development at the Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative. Elements such as standardized “essential health benefits” that every insurance company must cover, required coverage for all applicants and caps on out-of-pocket costs make the new plans appealing, Allen said. Under the traditional insurance system, “because there’s so much ‘gotcha’ language” consumers often don’t know what is covered until they make claims, he said.
“It’s a completely different paradigm [under the ACA],” Allen said. Beginning in January, the increased access to health care will improve health among Americans overall and “ultimately, it’s really to the benefit of the consumer and long term, to the benefit of our entire society,” Allen added.
Approximately 100 community members attended the forum, according to Clarene Mitchell, BHCW communication director. Some said they were gathering information for family, friends and other community members. Others are health care or social service providers or community leaders.
Janetha Johnson, a nurse, was listening carefully and taking notes. She said people are coming to her with questions about the new insurance plans, “so, I am educating myself.”
Rosie Caradine-Lewis, known in the community as ‘Mama Rosie,’ asked the panel if there is a way to protect her children from financial hardship brought on by her end-of-life health care. She was worried, she said, because her husband’s care has decimated her savings. The panel assured her that lifetime limits on health insurance coverage will be eliminated under the Affordable Care Act.
Paul Nobile, regional vice president of sales and account management, Compcare Health Services Insurance Corp. also participated on the panel. Compcare is selling insurance on the marketplace to Milwaukee County residents under its trade name, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
The Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, 3020 W. Vliet St., received an ACA Navigator grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The grant allows BHCW to provide outreach and education about the Affordable Care Act to Milwaukee County residents. BHCW also is providing training to other organizations and assisting with enrollment.

created: November 1, 2013


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 31, 2013


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Federal grant to Next Door to prompt ‘dramatic change’ in Head Start | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rick Brown
November 4, 2013
A Head Start student at Next Door Foundation reaches for the sky with his block tower. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
When the Social Development Commission, the dominant Head Start provider in Milwaukee for decades, lost its federal funding earlier this year, the stage was set for Next Door Foundation to significantly expand its Head Start facilities and services. Next Door received a $6.9 million federal grant for the expansion.
“This grant will allow us to move out into the greater Milwaukee area,” said Principal and Education Leader Kate Linscott, who directs Next Door’s educational programs for children 3- to 5-years old.
Next Door, 2545 N. 29th St., served approximately 300 students in 2012-2013. In 2013-2014, its first year as an independent Head Start grantee, the organization is aiming to serve more than 1,000 students, according to Executive Director Dr. Carol Keintz. She said that Next Door should reach peak enrollment by the end of this month.
A former Head Start delegate of the Social Development Commission (SDC), Next Door became the second-largest Head Start provider in Milwaukee this year, behind Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Milwaukee’s other major providers include Council for the Spanish Speaking and Acelero Learning.
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Next Door has offered Head Start programming since 1993 and has operated as an SDC delegate agency and independent grantee for Early Head Start, targeting expectant mothers and children up to 3 years old. This will be the organization’s first year as an independent grantee for Head Start, targeting 3- and 4-year-old children.
In addition to acquiring a new facility, Next Door has hired a large number of staff. According to its annual report, the organization had 26 teachers or assistant teachers and 17 classrooms in 2011-2012. Though the new staff levels are “a moving target,” Keintz estimates that Next Door may soon have approximately 106 staffers and 52 classrooms.
The organization also is unveiling a new home-based Head Start model to better reach Milwaukee’s “invisible communities” of Hmong, Somali and Karen-speaking families, Keintz said.
Next Door also has launched collaborations with partners across the city, now operating Head Start classrooms at Oliver Wendell Holmes School, a Milwaukee Public School, and Urban Day School, a UWM charter school.
Capitol Drive Site
Next Door acquired its future Capitol Heights facility in August with Head Start funding that would have otherwise been used to lease space, as well as contributions from foundations and individual donors, according to Keintz.
“The site allows us to expand into a greater area in Milwaukee,” Linscott said. “Before we were mostly in the Metcalfe Park area.”
The 103,000-square-foot former Northwest General Hospital will be able to accommodate 20 classrooms and more than 400 children, according to Linscott.  It will also include room for enrichment activities such as art and music.
Workers are now reconfiguring the former hospital building for educational use. “They’re in there doing the preliminary work we need to construct classrooms and spaces,” Linscott said.
The renovations have not gone entirely according to plan, however. Keintz said the facility will likely open the first week of April 2014. Originally, the opening had been planned for January, according to a press release. Problems with the building have pushed back timetables and increased costs, according to Keintz.
The chief problem, Next Door discovered, was the presence of asbestos. The building had “excessive abatement,” Keintz said, referring to a process by which asbestos is enclosed to prevent individuals from inhaling toxic fibers.
However, Next Door’s board of directors decided to remove the contaminated materials.
“You can do partial abatement, but it can eventually crack and peel and air can get in—we didn’t want to go there,” Keintz said. “Our board felt very strongly that we wanted to create the safest environment possible for children.”
The removal process will eliminate any danger to students, but “it’s very expensive,” Keintz said. “It has to be done before any construction can start, and the people removing it need to have proper protection.”
The building also will require a new sprinkler system, Keintz added.
A 2,705-square-foot playground behind the building is already in place. On Sept. 12, 300 volunteers built the playground in collaboration with Kohl’s Cares, KaBOOM! and Next Door.
Next Door is providing Head Start services at temporary sites such as Milwaukee Environmental Sciences (MES) one mile away and Tendercare Child Care Center, across the street from the new site, according to Keintz.
“Even though our building isn’t available, our programming is already up and running in a new neighborhood,” Linscott added.
At MES, Casey Sperry, 25, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) graduate, instructs half-day classes with two groups of 15 preschoolers. Sperry, or “Mr. Casey” to his pupils, helps them read stories, discuss the calendar and do puzzles to “get ready for their future.”
Sperry and Natalie Nichols, Next Door’s site director at MES, said that the community reception has been very positive.
“Although we’re working out of a temporary space, we’ve gotten together a really nice community in the short amount of time that we’ve been here,” Nichols said.
Children at temporary sites will move to the Capitol Drive facility. Students at other locations, such as Next Door’s headquarters at 2545 N. 29th St., will remain where they are.
Currently under renovation, the former Northwest General Hospital at 5310 W. Capitol Drive is set to open in April 2014 as a Next Door Head Start facility. (Photo by Rick Brown)
Home-Based Model
This month, Next Door will launch a home-based Head Start program with six staff members. It will be the first program of its kind to be specifically targeted toward 3- and 4-year-olds in Milwaukee.
Keintz said that the comprehensive program will target a broad spectrum of families, including minority populations “that are basically invisible in our community,” such as Hmong, Somali, and Karen-speaking families, who often have limited resources.
“We want to help transition the children into center-based programming so they can be ready for school when they’re six,” Keintz said.
Bilingual, “culturally matched” staff members will make weekly 90-minute visits to children’s homes 36 weeks a year, leaving materials and instruction for the family, Keintz said. Next Door will also transport the children and parents to a classroom to allow students to socialize with other children.
The program aims to strengthen bonds between families and reduce isolation, according to Keintz.
Next Door is recruiting families for the program through its parent educators, who “live and work in the community,” Keintz said. Some families already have enrolled in the program, which will have a peak capacity of 72 families.
Based on a long-term model previously used by other Head Start programs, the research-based program will integrate literacy, education, health and social development into a curriculum to “hook families into resources” while allowing them to preserve their heritage, according to Keintz.
Home-based Head Start is better for these families, because they worry about their children losing their cultural identity and languages,” Keintz said.
A New Day at Next Door
The new Head Start situation in Milwaukee has presented both opportunities and challenges to Next Door.
Keintz said the changeover from SDC was confusing to many Head Start parents. Because SDC had run programming for so many years, Keintz said, “some families even believed that because SDC’s programs ended, that Head Start itself ended in Milwaukee.”
Funding for Next Door’s Head Start services also decreased as a result of the federal sequester, noted Keintz, who said the organization has had to “shuffle things around,” but was able to avoid cutting either students or staff.
Keintz said she sees the federal grant as an opportunity for Next Door to expand services beyond what SDC previously offered.
SDC did not have a home-based program or offer full-day programming, Keintz said, adding that Next Door can offer new, more comprehensive models of Head Start services to city children.
“All of the partners who now have the Head Start grants—ourselves, Council for the Spanish Speaking, Acelero, MPS—believe that we can provide the high-quality, research-based education practices that the children of Milwaukee deserve,” Keintz said.
“I think the change in the Head Start model will be dramatic,” she said.

created: November 4, 2013


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 4, 2013


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 3, 2013

created: November 3, 2013


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Teachers from ALBA School honored as ‘People’ magazine Teachers of the Year | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Public Schools
November 5, 2013
Brenda Martinez, Radarmes Galarza and Elissa Guarnero – teachers and founders of Milwaukee Public School’s ALBA School – were honored Friday by ‘People’ as among the magazine’s “Teachers of the Year.”
The winners receive $4,000 for their school – and $1,000 for themselves.
The three founded ALBA – Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes – as a bilingual MPS charter school on the city’s south side aimed at developing positive self-identity in bilingual students through the fine arts and a rigorous curriculum. ALBA was rated “Exceeds Expectations” in the latest state report card and its students surpassed state averages in reading achievement growth, mathematics achievement growth and overall math achievement.
In addition to the award presented by Jeff Truesdell of “People,” the teachers were honored with a proclamation from the state legislature, presented by Rep. Josh Zepnick, who represents the area surrounding the school in the state Assembly. Rep. Zepnick was joined by fellow Milwaukee lawmaker Rep. JoCasta Zamarippa.
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“The ‘People’ magazine Teacher of the Year Award reaffirms my belief that dreams can come true with dedication, a lot of hard work, and a great support system. Thank you ‘People’ magazine for celebrating the dream come true of ALBA School,” said Martinez, teacher leader at the school.
Guernero said “this award shines the spotlight on ALBA school and the wonderful progress that occurs daily through the hard work and dedication of our staff, students and families.”
“This is my childhood dream come true,” Galarza said. “My goal was to work for MPS and make a difference for the language learners, just as my teachers made a difference for me. This recognition is for all teachers who give their all for the future of our children.”

created: November 5, 2013


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Pan-African group helps southeast Asian children learn English | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
November 7, 2013
“Two, four, six, eight, 12..oh..ah…10,” says Thaw Nay, 6, asked by his teacher to count by twos. Nay stands amid a circle of seated children from southeast Asia.
Nay, whose native language is Karen, is learning the English language at the newest after-school program offered by the Pan-African Community Association (PACA), located at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 3222 S. 29 St.
There, southeast Asian students participate in a pilot program designed to help refugees overcome their biggest obstacle in school, the language barrier. Most participants in the program are Burmese and made their way to the U.S. via refugee camps in Thailand.
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When they arrive, their English proficiency level is usually at zero, according to Nicole Acosta, school program coordinator at PACA. “They don’t know how to read or write in English at all,” Acosta said.
Not knowing English hinders students’ ability to adjust to life in the U.S., leaves them vulnerable to discrimination and makes it hard for them to navigate the educational system, according to Michael Grochowski, education program director at PACA.
Grochowski said the program, open to students from kindergarten up to high school, is initially focused on teaching students English, but they study other subjects as well.
PACA’s approach to teaching, according to Grochowski, is to build concepts and conversations around experiences that students are familiar with.
“We’ll have them talk about what it’s like to go to school, or to be a refugee,” Grochowski said.
PACA runs a similar program at 4063 N. 64 St., serving 30-50 students, mostly African refugees.
The newest location opened in April to serve the needs of southeast Asian refugees, most of whom live on the South Side and don’t have the means to travel to the 64 Street location, Acosta said.
The students’ families learned about the new program through word of mouth.
“Within their community word gets around, and all of the sudden they were coming,” Acosta said.
While the organization would like to serve more students at the South Side location (11 are now participating), more volunteer tutors are needed so students can receive crucial one-on-one instruction, according to Acosta. She takes the group a few times a week to local libraries or Journey House, where free tutoring is provided.
Grochowski said there is no age requirement for tutors. What’s important, he said, is for them to be role models for the students.
Acosta is amazed at how quickly the youngsters are learning English.
“The improvement from day one to today is huge,” Acosta said. As if to demonstrate, a student wearing a red sweater, with blue, yellow and white stripes, repeated the sentence, “I can walk across the park,” perfectly.

created: November 7, 2013


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 6, 2013

created: November 6, 2013