HAPA charter school expanding, Community Schools expanding, career skills program coming

Students. Photo courtesy of MPS.

MILWAUKEE (July 1, 2016) – The Milwaukee Board of School Directors on Thursday night approved a lease that will allow the successful Hmong American Peace Academy, an MPS charter school, to expand.

The K-12 school, 4601 N. 84th Street, Milwaukee 53225, has outgrown its space and will now utilize the Happy Hill site at 7171 W. Brown Deer Road, Milwaukee 53223, under the lease approved by the Board at its regular June meeting. HAPA received a national Bronze recognition in U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 list of best high schools.

In other action:

• The Board received an update this month identifying the two MPS schools — Browning and Lincoln Avenue elementary schools — that will join the growing Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership between MPS and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. The four existing MPS Community Schools – Auer Avenue School, Lynde and Harry Bradley School of Technology and Trade, Hopkins Lloyd Community School and James Madison Academic Campus – are making progress in their first full year of implementation. In Cincinnati, a hub for Community Schools, graduation rates have increased dramatically. The model has been implemented across the country, showing that authentic engagement and shared leadership combined with coordinated community partnership can improve student outcomes, school environment and local neighborhoods.
• The Board approved a new career skills program – Dream, Explore, Build – to be implemented in seven MPS high schools: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Golda Meir, North Division, Pulaski, Washington and Harold S. Vincent. The program, operated by Lead2Change, Inc., teaches oral communications skills, critical thinking/problem solving, professionalism/work ethic, effective teamwork, career goal attainment and resource gathering for career goals. The program is partially funded by Bader Philanthropies, Inc. – Isabel and Alfred Bader Fund.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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