Within Marquette's commitment to social justice,
Howard L. Fuller, Ph.D. (MU '85) founded the Institute in
1995 to provide quality educational options for students
of low-income families. Since then, the Institute has won
nearly $14 million in grants from local and national
foundations for working across systems to reform K-12
education in Milwaukee and nationally. The primary
beneficiaries for all of the work of the Institute are low-
income children and families in the City of Milwaukee, and
children anywhere who are being ill served by the current
systems of education. The Institute's first programs were underway by
1996. The Professional Development Center provided
workshops for teachers in charter and private schools.
Parents Organized to Work for School Reform addressed
unresponsive schools. Technology Learning Centers
operated in nine faith-based communities for families.
The Wisconsin Charter School Resource Center served as
an intermediary organization locally and nationally for
information and policies. From 1999-2005, the School Design and
Development Center supported the development of over
30 schools; sponsored Academic Olympics which engaged
nearly 1,500 K-12 students annually; and created a Family
Foundations program which provided leadership workshops
for over 40 families. During 2002-2004, Marquette's
School of Education and the Institute sponsored a Master's
Degree in Educational Leadership for 24 inner-city educators. In 2000, the Institute launched the Black Alliance for
Educational Options (BAEO) during a National Press Club
broadcast from Washington, DC. Chapters formed across
the nation to empower Black parents to determine the best
school options for their children. The Institute published
The Milwaukee Public Schools' Teacher Union Contract (1997),
Lies and Distortions: The Campaign Against School Vouchers
(2001), and Survey of School Choice Research (2005) to
challenge misconceptions about School Choice. In April 2006, the Wisconsin State Legislature
authorized the Institute to accredit schools enrolled in the
Milwaukee Parental Choice Program; an Accreditation Board
established and monitored policies, while an Accreditation
Support Center provided coaches and workshops to
candidate schools.
When the Legislature authorized the Institute pre-accreditation schools in June 2009, this Institute initiated the New Schools Approval Board. . Researchers, journalists, legislators, and foundations
called upon the Institute regularly to answer "What next?"
as K-12 education moved from a top-down decision-making
model to one where decisions were made from the ground
up, both by parents and those responding to parents' and
students' needs. Related Sections Contact Information for ITL The Institute is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM.
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