PAVE’s Extended Learning Initiative was introduced in 2007 as a direct response to the need for quality educational opportunities in the city of Milwaukee over the summer months. The Initiative addresses the following issues:

• Summer “learning loss,” the loss of skills and proficiency during the summer.

• Milwaukee’s increasing achievement gap between low-income students and their middle income peers.

• A lack meaningful summer opportunities for low-income students whose parents typically do not have the money to pay for recreational/education activities.

PAVE selects and engages with school partners that have the capacity to launch or expand meaningful, robust programs that combine strong academics with enrichment activities, thus reducing summer learning loss and having a positive impact on the city’s achievement gap.

To encourage high quality, sustainable programming, PAVE provides expert program development and support, grant funding directly to schools, connections to community partners for enrichment programming and other support, and data-driven, independent program monitoring.

2009 Highlights

• In Summer 2009, PAVE partnered with 12 schools throughout the city of Milwaukee and a variety of community partners to provide academic and enrichment programs that served students from Kindergarten through High School.

• Programs were supported and strengthened through strategic partnerships with area organizations such as Alliance for Great Lakes, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Public Library.

• Students benefited from strong academic programs focusing on the core subjects of reading, math and science, and enriching activities in art, sports, hands-on science and music.

• School leaders benefited from expert advise in data-driven instruction to ensure accelerated growth in academics over the course of the summer.

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    2009 Extended Learning Initiative Participating Schools

Academy of Learning and Leadership (website)

Bruce Guadalupe Community School

Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee (BEAM)

Carmen High School of Science and Technology

Garden Homes Lutheran School

Messmer Catholic Schools (website)

Milwaukee Renaissance Academy (website)

St. Marcus Lutheran School (website)

Tenor High School (website)

Urban Day School

Windlake Elementary (website)

Wisconsin Lutheran High School (website)

Community Partnerships

PAVE believes that partnerships between schools and outside organizations are essential to success in urban education. They foster a positive school culture and bring important enrichment and career-modeling activities without great additional expense.

Two PAVE-led community partnerships that added value to Extended Learning Initiative school programs are outlined below.

Alliance for Great Lakes/Adopt a Beach

Students from the Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee and Garden Homes Lutheran School took part in a pilot program combining Great Lakes-based classroom curriculum with regular visits to a Milwaukee beach to learn firsthand about Great Lakes ecology. Students learned about the flora and fauna of the Great Lakes, the history of the Great Lakes region, and threats to the Lakes' delicate ecology. Beach site visits were guided by an experienced Great Lakes ecologist. 

Summer of Baseball

Thanks to the generous support of Brewers Charities, Inc.  and the Southeastern Wisconsin Stadium District Community Program, 100 middle school students learned the basics of baseball from experienced coaches. PAVE Summer of Baseball culminated in a tournament played by teams from Academy of Learning and Leadership, BEAM and Urban Day at Helfaer Field.  Students, faculty and parents enjoyed a day of baseball in the shadow of Miller Park.