Locations
- 36th Street Campus: 2449 N.36th St. Milwaukee, WI 53210
ph.# 414–445–8020
fax# 414–445–8167
- Lloyd Street Campus: 1228 W. Lloyd St. Milwaukee, WI 53205
ph.# 414–264–6000
fax# 414–264–6004
- 38th Street Campus: 2623 N. 38th St. Milwaukee, WI 53210
ph.# 414–445–1000
fax# 414–445–1005
Educating Every Child, No Excuses.
A core belief at Milwaukee College Prep is that every child, no matter his or her circumstance,has a unique and individual genius. It is up to us to unlock that genius, no excuses. Still, the futures of many more of Milwaukee’s most vulnerable children are more desperate than ever. The statistics are staggering:
Milwaukee has the highest achievement gap in the nation. Yet… Milwaukee College Prep has eliminated the achievement gap at our 36th Street Campus.
After just 8 weeks of Milwaukee College Prep rigor, we significantly narrowed the achievement gap at the Lindsay Heights Campus in 2010–11.
Milwaukee has among the lowest reading scores in the nation. Yet… 90% of Milwaukee College Prep’s 36th Street scholars are advanced or proficient in Reading.
Wisconsin has the highest percentage of black 8th graders in the
nation whose performance is rated “below basic” in reading and math. Yet… 100% of Milwaukee College Prep:36th Street Campus 8th graders were advanced or proficient in Reading.
Nationally, only 40% of African-Americans graduate from high school. Yet…
- More than 90% of our alumni graduate from high school.
- ‘’‘More than 40% of our first alumni class is getting ready to
graduate from college.’‘’
Every one of Milwaukee’s central city children must be afforded a rigorous education; if we don’t provide that to them, we are not only compromising their futures, but our own. Milwaukee won’t be able to sustain itself, much less realize growth, without these young scholars. The failure of our schools has enormous social
costs. Consider these facts:
- It costs a community an estimated $1.7 to $2 million in lost tax revenue and increased government assistance for every person who does not receive his or her high school diploma.
- There is a high school dropout epidemic in America. Nearly 50% of minority students drop out of high school. Over their lifetimes, these dropouts will earn $260,000 less than their peers with high school degrees. Dropouts from the class of 2008 alone will cost the nation $319 billion in lost wages.
- 44% of dropouts under the age of 24 are jobless.
- Milwaukee ranks first in racial disparity of jobless rates among the nation’s top 40 urban areas. 53% of black males in Milwaukee are unemployed, second only to Detroit.
Who We Are
Founded in 1997, Milwaukee College Prep is a K-8 public charter school that every child in the City of Milwaukee is eligible to attend. When applications exceed capacity, the scholars are selected via lottery. Our team of teachers is fiercely determined to provide our scholars with a world-class education. We believe that every child can and will succeed. If they don’t, we have failed; they have not. This culture of hard work and high expectations, combined with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and loving environment, has eliminated the achievement gap at our original 36th Street Campus and is narrowing it at our Lloyd Street Campus.
The Achievers: Milwaukee College Prep Scholars
We believe that all of our scholars share a desire to succeed no matter their zip code. A textbook illustration of this absolute determination is Shaq, a young scholar who was the definition of “at risk urban youth”. During his tenure at MCP, he was challenged in his personal life, coming from a single parent household where he was placed into the role of caregiver to his younger siblings. Determined, he showed the same resolve at school as he did at home. Working with our Alumni Director, this young man secured a scholarship to St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, where he has flourished as a scholar, an athlete and a musician. With a GPA of 3.9 and a resume filled with varsity sports and bagpiping, he is hoping to attend Prairie View A&M in Texas. He is just one of thousands of Milwaukee College Prep scholars alumni who are defining their own destiny and demonstrating what is possible.
The Difference: Milwaukee College Prep Teachers
Teacher quality is the number one predictor of student chievement. At Milwaukee College Prep, our gifted teachers are creating outstanding results for our hard-working scholars. Our goal is to provide every class with a passionate, optimistic, mission driven teacher, and then provide the school conditions where great teaching can thrive. Our teachers not only move each scholar along the path to achievement, but also create safe and structured conditions in which to learn. Using every single minute to provide personalized, data-driven instruction and combining that with a heavy dose of love and support, Milwaukee College Prep teachers really are the difference.
The Backbone: Milwaukee College Prep Leadership Team
Ron Sadoff,Founder and President
At a time when “achievement gap” and “education crisis” weren’t a part of our shared vocabulary, Ron and Micky Sadoff opened what was then called Marva Collins Preparatory School with 76 scholars. The Sadoffs, inspired by a piece on “60 Minutes”, wanted to directly impact the futures of Milwaukee’s young urban scholars, and they have; thousands of scholars and counting.
Robert Rauh, Principal
Mr. Rauh, who taught in East L.A.,Harlem and Milwaukee, shared the
Sadoffs’ vision of creating an ambitious new model to educate Milwaukee’s central city children. He set a course of success for the school and its scholars that has realized remarkable results over the past 14 years. During his tenure, Milwaukee College Prep has grown to more than 900 high achieving scholars, and this spring will celebrate the college graduations of the school’s first class of alumni. Featured in the New York Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and CNN, Mr. Rauh is a leader in urban education in Milwaukee and nationally.
Campus Leadership
The implementation of the academic vision at Milwaukee College Prep
is guided by a remarkable leadership team. Kari Whalen and Kristen
Foster serve as the Co-Directors of the 36th Street Campus and the
Co-Chief Academic Officers for all three campuses. Both Ms. Whalen
and Ms. Foster are experienced, effective and passionate teachers and leaders who have over 10 years of experience at Milwaukee College Prep. Cherise Easley will continue in her role as Campus Director at Lloyd Street Campus and Maggy Olson, previously the principal at 81st Street School in MPS, will lead the 38th Street Campus. Ms. Easley and Ms. Olson are both alums of the New Leaders for New Schools leadership program and have proven track records of scholar achievement. In addition, Kristi Cole, who has a wealth of experience and success in urban schools, has joined our team to manage state and charter reporting, oversee talent recruitment and provide mentorship. The leadership talents of this team, along with our veteran Business Manager, Tom Sprague, provide the culture, tools, and support necessary for our teachers to achieve excellence every day.
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