Good morning CharterFolk,
Today we are delighted to share with you a Contributor Column from Colleston Morgan, the Executive Director of the City Forward Collective in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
We provide a bio for Colleston below.
Born and raised in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood, Colleston Morgan Jr was appointed Executive Director of City Forward Collective in 2023. Previously, he served as the organization’s Vice-President of Strategy & Policy.
He began his career as a social studies teacher at G.W. Carver High School, where he was recognized as the school’s Teacher of the Year. Colleston then spent time working at the Louisiana Department of Education, and at New Orleans Public Schools, culminating in a Cabinet-level role as the district’s Chief Strategy Officer. While at the district, Colleston was a key leader in the development and implementation of the district’s plan to return to local governance of New Orleans’ system of public charter schools, after more than a decade of state control. Colleston has been recognized as a national leader in charter school authorizing practices and school accountability.
Colleston earned an A.B. in Government from Harvard University, a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and is an alum of the Pahara Institute, Cambiar Catalyst Fellowship, and the New Leaders Council. Outside of work, Colleston is the proud father of two school-aged daughters.
Choice and Quality: The Twin Pillars of Milwaukee’s Educational Future
For over 30 years, school choice has been an integral part of Milwaukee’s educational landscape. As a city, we’ve embraced the idea that children thrive in different learning environments and that families should have the power to choose the best educational fit for their children. This philosophy has led to many choices, from traditional public schools to public charter schools and private schools participating in voucher programs.
As we enter our fourth decade of robust school choice, Milwaukee’s journey offers valuable lessons for districts, charter schools, and choice advocates nationwide and it’s time for an honest conversation about where we stand and where we need to go.
At City Forward Collective, where I serve as executive director, we firmly believe that empowering families with choice is a foundational and critical lever for change. We’re steadfast in our defense of the inherent agency of our city’s families to determine the best-fit school for their children. We equally believe that choice is a means to a greater end – it’s not enough on its own. We cannot just advocate for ‘choice for all’ without demanding ‘excellence for all.’
Choice has given power back to families, providing them with the freedom and flexibility to find the right school fit for each child. And, we see this in action every day: Of the 110,000 publicly funded students in Milwaukee, nearly half attend a school not operated by Milwaukee Public Schools, our city’s traditional public school district.
However, despite that robust, multi-sector system of schools, it’s equally clear that we have a lot of work to do to ensure that the brilliance and potential of Milwaukee’s students is reflected in their academic outcomes. The stark reality is that fewer than one in five students meet foundational expectations in reading and math. For students of color, that number drops to fewer than one in seven – and for Black students like myself, fewer than one in ten. We cannot defend this indefensible status quo – not at our district-run schools, nor anywhere else in our city. Instead, we need a collective commitment to facing uncomfortable truths and pressing for meaningful change.
To deliver high-quality educational opportunities more is needed than choice alone. Choice is a means to the greater end of educational opportunity—not the end itself. Our goal must be high-quality choices, and we have a responsibility to speak up and step in when any school—whether district-run, public charter, or private—persistently fails to meet basic student learning and growth standards.
Take, for example, our stance on the recent Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) referendum. As the city’s largest school operator, MPS plays a crucial role in shaping educational outcomes. However, our analysis revealed two critical issues: persistently low academic achievement in MPS-operated schools and significant flaws in their financial proposal. These factors compelled us to voice our concerns and ultimately oppose the referendum. The choices offered by MPS were simply not meeting the standards families rightfully expect from their schools.
In response to our position, teachers unions and certain interest groups resorted to mischaracterization, labeling us as representatives of “suburban business interests” and “corporate privatizers.” Despite these unfounded attacks, we remained resolute in our advocacy. Our stance wasn’t driven by blind allegiance to abstract notions of school choice, but by a pragmatic belief that MPS can—and must—do better. Better for the residents it sought to tax, and more importantly, better for the over 50,000 students and families it serves daily. Our commitment to improving educational outcomes transcends ideological boundaries; it’s about ensuring that every child in Milwaukee has access to genuinely high-quality educational options.
We understand that this approach can revamp an entire city’s education system when implemented effectively. As a teacher and district administrator in New Orleans, I witnessed the same positive outcomes that Doug Harris’ research has demonstrated. Moving students from underperforming schools to higher-performing ones yields significant benefits. Between 2005 and 20015, New Orleans saw remarkable increases in test scores, ACT scores, high school graduation rates, and college entry rates. Doug and his team at the Education Research Alliance have shown that much of this progress can be attributed to New Orleans’ willingness to make tough decisions about schools based on deeply ingrained beliefs about school quality.
As James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” We must face the fact that too many public education systems across the country while offering diverse choices, are not delivering the results our children deserve.
Right now, Milwaukee has 66 schools of all types with fewer than 10 students on grade level. And for every student who attends a top-rated school (based on CFC’s High-Quality School Metric, and using data from Wisconsin’s school and district report cards), we have 20 students – a full classroom – in schools with the lowest rating. This won’t change unless we come together as a city to improve school quality across all sectors. We need leadership that recognizes the value of parent’s power to choose and works to ensure high standards, accountability, and positive outcomes for all of Milwaukee’s students.
Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our belief that Milwaukee’s diverse educational landscape is our strength. We have the structural elements in place to create transformative change. With focused leadership and a clear vision, we can maximize the potential of our existing educational framework.
At City Forward Collective, we’re working towards a goal of accelerating 15,000 more students on the path to proficiency by 2035. This would put Milwaukee among a small group of cities nationwide that have successfully closed state proficiency gaps, and because of our state’s demographics, would also change generational narratives about what can be achieved by Black and brown students in Wisconsin. This isn’t just an educational goal—it’s a catalyst for Milwaukee’s broader success and economic vitality.
But this isn’t just about Milwaukee—it’s a challenge and opportunity for every city and school district in America. A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work. It’s crucial to give parents the ability to choose the best school for their child–as they’ve made clear is their preference in poll after poll. This is a vital starting point, and yet more is needed. Choice for choice’s sake alone is insufficient to achieve the future we all envision for our children.
We must hold all schools to high standards, regardless of their type. At the root of our movement is an expectation that given freedom and flexibility, every school provides every student with an excellent education. When we lose sight of either side of that fundamental bargain, we lose sight of the pathway we’ve laid out toward a future where every child’s full potential is realized through high-quality schools.
This means being honest about how schools are performing, sharing that information openly, and working tirelessly to improve schools that are falling short.
By focusing on empowering families and maintaining high standards, we can transform education in our communities. When we improve our schools, we strengthen our entire society – creating more opportunities for good jobs, vibrant neighborhoods, and a brighter future for everyone. This isn’t just a goal for one city or district – it’s a vision that can drive positive change in education across the entire country.