M³ 2024 Impact Report highlights continued progress

The full M³ 2024 Impact Report is now available, with the following introduction from M³ executive sponsors Anthony Cruz, Eduardo Galvan and Mark Mone:

In 2015, new executive leaders at Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recognized both the opportunity and the imperative to work more closely together to transform education in Milwaukee. Together, they created M³.

As we approach our first decade of partnership, our collective impact has been significant:

  • 700 MPS 12th-graders earned 8,000 MATC and UWM college credits through M³ College Connections, saving almost $2.6 million in tuition.
  • 900 MPS 11th-grade students in just one year took advantage of a streamlined admissions process for UWM and MATC through M³ Milwaukee Direct Admit.
  • More than 3,100 UWM, MATC and MPS faculty and staff have met through M³ to better connect what students learn from middle school to high school and higher education.
  • 5,000 MPS students have explored careers at M³ Work-Based Learning job fairs.
  • 10,000 MPS ninth and 10-grade students toured UWM and MATC campuses as part of M³ Academic and Career Planning efforts.
  • MPS seniors’ participation in Smart Start sessions at MATC and UWM nearly doubled from the Class of 2022 to the Class of 2023, going from 338 to 650, with students earning more than $100,000 in scholarships.
  • As of August 2024, 59% of MPS seniors in the Class of 2024 completed the FAFSA, surpassing both the national rate of 50% and Wisconsin’s rate of 44% – and unlocking greater access to college.

At the same time, we are seeing growth in key indicators of the health of students’ K-16 educational journey. While more work remains, more MPS graduates who go on to MATC and UWM are continuing beyond their first year of higher education – and more MPS graduates who go on to UWM and MATC are graduating on time.

After nearly 10 years, executive leadership is transitioning with a new interim superintendent at MPS, a new president at MATC and a new chancellor expected at UWM in 2025. As leaders, we remain committed to this impactful partnership and the shared infrastructure we have built to advance it. We provide this year’s impact report to you with full confidence that by this time next year, you will be reading about continued growth of our shared work.

Sincerely,

Anthony Cruz, Ed.D, President, MATC
Eduardo Galván, Interim Superintendent, MPS
Mark Mone, Ph.D, Chancellor, UWM