The leaky pipeline for Milwaukee

Public School Students

5,568 students

Started 9th grade in 2015

3,898 students

Completed high school by 2019 (70% of original cohort)

1,739 students

Enrolled in college in fall 2019 (31.2% of original cohort)

Leaks continue in college

33% of all students

enrolled at Higher Education Regional Alliance schools completed their degree the in expected timeframe. While the available data does not directly connect the 9th grade Milwaukee cohort to college completion, the HERA data provides a glimpse at hypothetical outcomes.

Assuming rates for Milwaukee students match HERA rates overall, just 10.3% of the 9th grade cohort completed their degree in the expected time frame, equaling just:

574 students

Milwaukee, Mora is graduating debt-free with a full-time job at Milwaukee-based Baird Advisors.

“When you’re navigating from high school to college, it’s a big culture shock,” Mora added. “But you’d be surprised by how many people share the same struggles that you have. You’ll never find help if you don’t reach out.”

Another example of a nonprofit organizing itself around the “leaky Milwaukee education pipeline” issue is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, through its Graduation Plus College Access and Success program. The program provides support and mentorship to more than 800 high school and college students annually, boasting a 100% high school graduation rate for participants, according to its website.

For its report, the Policy Forum surveyed a total of 13 local nonprofit organizations that offer programs addressing various stages of the city’s education pipeline from high school completion through college, including College Possible Milwaukee, Future Urban Leaders, the “I Have a Dream” Foundation, PEARLS for Teen Girls, SecureFutures and YWCA of Metro Milwaukee, just to name a few.

That’s in addition to 12 programs run by higher education institutions and four run by other entities, such as Milwaukee Public Schools and Employ Milwaukee. Together, the 29 program providers that participated in the survey serve approximately 24,800 high school-age students and 9,100 college-age students per year, according to the report.

Room for improvement

However, the data suggests that even more students could benefit. One-third of the programs included in the Policy Forum survey are currently unable to serve all interested students; another third is currently underutilized.

In addition, some of the barriers that students face – food insecurity for example – are outside the scope of what some programs can do. Additionally, while those programs target either low-income or high-achieving students, there are students who may not fit the definition of “low income” yet still struggle to afford college, and there are students who may not fit the definition of “high achieving” yet still can succeed academically.

Addressing these issues will likely require greater coordination and partnership between providers, and acknowledgement of the yet unmet need to efficiently redirect funds, the Policy Forum report reads. To bridge the gaps between students and the local landscape of post-secondary readiness programming, the report recommends minimizing competition in student recruitment efforts; expanding diversity recruitment by adapting eligibility requirements; and getting the word out about the effectiveness and quality of programs.

“We have to partner in ways that have never been heard of before,” Martin said. n