Milwaukee Professionals Association Launched Bold 3-Tier Approach for Education and Technology Attainment of Milwaukeeans

“Re-defining”, “re-branding” and “un-trapping” the City of Milwaukee and its Stakeholders of Concentrated Poverty

Press Release
May 13, 2011

MPS, MATC, UW-EXTENSION, UW-Milwaukee and other higher learning institutions that receive government funding


Milwaukee Professionals Association Launched Bold 3-Tier Approach for Education and Technology Attainment of Milwaukeeans

MPS, MATC, UW-EXTENSION, UW-Milwaukee and other higher learning institutions that receive government funding


MILWAUKEE, WI – Today, Friday, May 13, 2011, Mary Glass, Chair/CEO, Milwaukee Professionals Association, announced twelve (12) touchstones of All Hands on Deck, WE, Not Me Initiative – a campaign to BOOST Graduation rates in diplomas, certifications and degrees for eradicating Enduring Concentrated Poverty. It requires access-literacy-fluency of Education and Technology. It calls for some restructuring of the way the 3-tier public school systems and the private schools provide customer care for/to the public sector in Milwaukee. It requires the people/taxpayers, legislators, governor and federal decision makers’ approval.

The focus of All Hands on Deck, WE, Not Me Initiative calls for specifics for “re-defining”, “re-branding” and ultimately “un-trapping” Milwaukeeans, especially those that have been consistently and by design left out of wealth-building for sustainability. It is a Bottom-up Recovery plan to eradicate Enduring Concentrated Poverty and replace it with “economic affluence” - a NEW Middle Class in the City of Milwaukee.

The 3-Tier approach deploys the conventions of the state public school systems. It calls for 21st Century “strategic planning” and “implementation” of Milwaukee Public Schools (elementary and secondary) with 2-year Milwaukee Area Technical College, 4-year and above institutions (UW-Milwaukee and UW-Milwaukee Extension).

It looks at specific target audiences in Milwaukee. They are: African American, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged (un-, under-financed businesses; un-, under-employed; un-, under-skilled; disabled, and re-entry, those returning from war, incarceration, boomerang employment and retirement). It is a “WE” effort with the buy-in of the People.

The All Hands on Deck, WE, Not Me initiative plan/touchstones include:

1) Adoption of a 10-year plan to increase access, literary and fluency in education and technology attainment for at least 51% of residential and commercial stakeholders of the City of Milwaukee.

2)Identifying and implementing “adult alternatives” for BOOSTING graduation that address social concerns tied to culturally diverse areas of Milwaukee; especially stakeholders that are un-, under-financed businesses; un-, under-employed; un-, under-skilled; have dropped out of school; are disabled, are returnees from war, incarceration and boomerang employment.

3)research and strategic solutions in education and technology attainment by-and-with MPS parents that requires education and technology attainment of “the parents-guardian” for removal of social constraints unique to Milwaukee’s urban” culture;

4)Identifying and joint-venturing resources of the public school conventions, MPS-MATC-UW-EXTENSION-UW-MILWAUKEE, for concentration, continuity, less duplication, transparency, accountability, customer care, best practices and maximizing business development at the neighborhood-level;

5)creating multi-year education and technology partnerships with neighborhood-level businesses using private school conventions, MARQUETTE, CARDINAL STRITCH, ALVERNO, MSOE, MILWAUKEE MEDICAL COLLEGE, CONCORDIA COLLEGE, KAPLAN, BRYANT STRATTON, ITT, UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX and EVEREST with a FOCUS on business and entrepreneurial preparedness in the City of Milwaukee;

6)Create “research” opportunities in the natural pipelines of MPS Title I, MATC programs, UW-Milwaukee schools/colleges, UW-Extension community outreach for growth of optimum results that calls for re-structuring and re-staffing patterns using MPS “parents” and neighborhood-level professionals;

7)Match case study and solutions that remove barriers to continuity of training from-school-to-home for MPS parents and students, correction facilities-to-home-to-school-to-work and war-to-home-to-school-to-work for long-term growth and wellness;

8)Create a NEW “talent” pipeline by removing barriers and promoting competition through access, literacy, incentives and “on-the-merits” support of those returning from incarceration, war, boomerang employment and retirement;

9)Implement the bootstrap model through bold and needed changes that marry supply management with neighborhood-level talent and emerging businesses; using Apprenticeship training and business modeling as a major link;

10)Spur “critical mass” employment and business development at the neighborhood-level through re-structuring the State of WI Apprenticeship program with a partnership with the following:
3-Tiers (MPS-MATC-UWM Extension and UWM), the U. S. Department of Employment and Training, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Community Block Grant, WI Bureau of Apprenticeship, WI Department of Regulations and Licensing, WI Department of Commerce, WI Department of Financial Institutions, WI Department of Natural Resources, WI Department of Transportation, MEDC-Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation, Milwaukee Emerging Business, Milwaukee Department of Public Works, Milwaukee Department of City Development, Milwaukee Harbor Commission, Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District.

11)Create seven (7) World-class, “urban” focused, state-of-the-art, one-stop shops that are technology-based with a campus-center atmosphere that promotes an Open-to-the-public computer network with global research curiosity.

12. Stakeholders at the neighborhood-level engage in a multi-year update and restructure the duties and responsibilities of the neighborhood strategic planning areas, the business improvement districts, Main Street focus and the 2010 Smart Growth land-use of Milwaukee.

“The boldness sought in the 3-Tier education and technology attainment process calls for restructuring with 21st Century paradigms that will trump limited, discriminatory and rigid thinking that is bankrupting the urban city of Milwaukee,” said Glass. “It is not a top-down; it is a Bottom-up partnership with our public and private education systems. It must be neighborhood-level driven with citizen-centered leadership that has the finger print of Milwaukeeans, especially African American, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged.”

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