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.  

2006 also saw the creation of the Quest program to build
schools' capacity through rigorous, focused assessment and
accountability practices, professional development and
“back-office” business services. 

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.

Misson

Overview of the Institute's Work
Overview of the Institute's Work