Lake Effect

Former MPS teacher Eldon “Cap” Lee says the key to education reform lies in rethinking the purpose of education. Lee is the co-author of Saving Students from a Shattered System: Igniting the Passion for Learning, with Mary Gale Budzisz, published by Rowman and Littlefield Education. He is also a former MPS teacher and later an administrator. He helped start the Milwaukee Village School, which closed in October 2005. He spoke with Stephanie Lecci as part of our "Project Milwaukee: Barriers to Achievement in MPS" series.

We begin our “Project Milwaukee: Barriers to Achievement in MPS” series with a brief look at the state of our schools. Ann-Elise Henzl is the executive producer of WUWM’s Project Milwaukee series and a reporter for the WUWM new room. Stephanie Lecci is Lake Effect’s coordinating producer.

Education policy analyst Barbara Bales gives us an overview of where educational policy intersects with classroom practice. Bales is an assistant professor at the UWM School of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She is also a former middle-level teacher. Her research focuses on teacher education, teacher preparation, and the tug-of-war between local, state and national education policy. She spoke with Stephanie Lecci for our "Project Milwaukee: Barriers to Achievement in MPS" series.

Rethinking Schools’ Bob Peterson explains how high teacher turnover in MPS affects students. Peterson teaches 5th grade at La Escuela Fratney – or Fratney School - a Milwaukee Public School. He is a founding editor of the quarterly journal Rethinking Schools, which has compiled a special online collection of 17 articles focused on teacher turnover and retention in schools. Peterson first spoke with Stephanie Lecci in February . Bob Peterson will be a guest on our live Lake Effect panel on June 3rd as part of our Project Milwaukee series on MPS.

Val Klump is a senior scientist and Director of the Great Lakes WATER Institute at UW-Milwaukee. Rebecca Klaper is a Shaw Associate Scientist at the institute. They spoke with Mitch Teich as part of the Project Milwaukee series, "The Currency of Water."

Matt Parlow is a law professor at Marquette University Law School. Peter Rofes also teaches law there, and is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. They spoke with Lake Effect's Mitch Teich in June.

Eilon Adar is the director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He spoke with Stephanie Lecci from his home in Israel.

Robert Glennon is the Morris K. Udall Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Arizona, and author of the book Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do About It, published by Island Press. He spoke with Mitch Teich as part of our "Project Milwaukee: The Currency of Water" series. Glennon was in Milwaukee this week to speak at a forum at Marquette University.

Richard Longworth is a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at DePaul University. He spoke with Bonnie North as part of our series, Project Milwaukee: The Currency of Water. You can also read the policy brief he authored calling for a Midwestern Marshall Plan.

Katherine Bliss is a senior fellow of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. She spoke about global water and sanitation issues this fall at the Institute of World Affairs at UW-Milwaukee. You can find her report on US leadership on drinking water and sanitation here.

Rich Meeusen is the Chairman, President, and CEO of Milwaukee-based Badger Meter, a company that makes water meters. He's also Co-Chair of the M7 Water Council. He spoke with Lake Effect's Mitch Teich as part of our series, Project Milwaukee: The Currency of Water.

Milwaukee-born writer and historian John Gurda is a regular Lake Effect contributor. He’s the author of nineteen books, including The Making of Milwaukee, and his latest, One People, Many Paths: A History of Jewish Milwaukee. Our interview on Milwaukee’s water history is part of our series, Project Milwaukee: The Currency of Water.