Addressing need and celebrating student success

Left to right: Keith P. Posley, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools; Vicki Martin, president of Milwaukee Area Technical College; and Mark Mone, chancellor of UWM.
Left to right: Keith P. Posley, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools; Vicki Martin, president of Milwaukee Area Technical College; and Mark Mone, chancellor of UWM.

This month we celebrated 94 students who each successfully earned up to 21 college credits through our fast-growing M3 College Connections dual enrollment program. In just the first three years, we nearly tripled the number of graduates from 32 to more than 90 — and together, students have saved nearly $750,000 in college tuition. We are committed to continuing to expand this life-changing opportunity with a goal of bringing 120 students into College Connections this fall.

The end-of-year celebration capped a year of adapting to the needs of the students we serve amid the impacts of COVID-19. Across the country, 100,000 fewer high school seniors took a critical step to unlock access to federal and state grants, loans, and many scholarships: applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To combat the decline, MPS, MATC, and UWM held help sessions, promoted the importance of FAFSA, and rallied the community to tell seniors: it’s time to submit your FAFSA. You can read more about the M3 FAFSA webinar below.

Supportive organizations continue to both recognize and support M3 efforts. MPS and the M3 partnership were one of only 23 organizations nationally to receive a grant from the National College Attainment Network to help high school seniors affected by the pandemic enroll in college (learn more about targeted steps below).

With summer upon us, the work continues. Helping high school graduates successfully transition to college is one of our three focus areas, and this year, we are strengthening our efforts. Our Smart Start supports (read more below) will offer coaching and summer bridge opportunities to prepare students for their first semester of college, along with our shared goals of increasing the rate of MPS graduates who successfully complete first-year English and math courses.

We hope you will take a moment to read about this important work as we collectively strive to impact our community’s future for the better.

Sincerely,

Keith P. Posley, Ed.D., Superintendent, MPS

Vicki Martin, Ph.D., President, MATC

Mark A. Mone, Ph.D., Chancellor, UWM