Rocketship Wisconsin Wins $2.5 Million Federal Grant

by Kadeem Gill, Rocketship Wisconsin Executive Director

I am proud to announce that the U.S. Department of Education has chosen Rocketship Wisconsin as one of only 30 recipients nationwide of the new Full-Service Community Schools grants!Rocketship Wisconsin will receive $2.5 million over five years to accelerate academic achievement, support family well-being, develop and retain high-performing educators, and elevate parent power in advocating for educational equity and systems-change across Milwaukee. This award recognizes the incredible work of our schools to truly serve as community schools– taking care of our students, families, and neighborhoods both inside and outside of the classroom. Rocketship Wisconsin is the only grant recipient in all of Wisconsin and the only charter school organization in the entire country to be awarded this funding.

Though we may be the only recipient in Wisconsin, we could not have won this award, nor can we do this work going forward, without our strong partnerships with other community organizations. In order to truly meet the needs of our students and their families to get back on track after the pandemic, we must provide full-service supports to combat poverty and lack of access to opportunity. We are so proud to partner with the following organizations in this work and in the implementation of comprehensive services for our community in the coming years: the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, Milwaukee Police Department, Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Wellpoint Care, Bellwether, City Forward Collective, Fulcrum Education Solutions, County Executive David Crowley, State Representative Robert Wittke, Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Office of Charter Schools, Ignite, and Carmen Schools of Science & Technology.

Over the next five years, this grant will help us to give every single Rocketeer and their family:

High-quality and individualized education resources and integrated student supports, with a key focus on social emotional learning and a multi-tiered system of supports for students.
Expanded and enriched learning time opportunities, including additional afterschool resources, summer school, Kinder Camp, enrichment classes, and tutoring.
Active family and community engagement opportunities, including home visits, community resource and educational workshops, community K-12 pipeline events, capacity building and leadership development in community organizing for parents and residents, strong partnerships with the police department to support public safety, and nonpartisan voter registration.
Collaborative leadership and practices training and mobilization that provide the foundation for implementing all key activities with collective buy-in from all stakeholders, leading to strong academic results, retention of high-quality and diverse staff, and engaged families and residents.

Thank you so much for your continued support of our schools, staff, and families as we close COVID learning gaps and unleash the potential of all Rocketeers. We are confident that our community schools model, our excellent educators, and Rocketeer supporters like you will continue to support our transformational public schools as we open up opportunities for all families across Milwaukee.

Published on November 30, 2023