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Program Begins
- The Milwaukee French Immersion program began in 1978 in response to court-ordered desegregation efforts in Milwaukee. Anthony Gradisnik, then MPS foreign-language curriculum specialist, researched and developed the immersion-school concept as an alternative to forced busing. Inspired by the success of immersion-education programs in Canadian schools, Gradisnik replicated this model of foreign-language instruction in Milwaukee.
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Multi-Language School
- The district’s French and German immersion programs shared their first home at 68th Street School before moving to 82nd Street School in 1980, becoming 82nd Street Multi-Language School
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MFIS Established
- By 1985, both the German and French programs were growing and needed more space. That, combined with an effort to maintain the integrity of the language within each program, resulted in moving the French program to South 88th Street and formally establishing Milwaukee French Immersion School. Initially, MFIS offered one class at each grade level. The school’s new building gave the program room to grow at the entry-level grades: 50 seats at K4, 75 seats at K5, and 75 seats in first grade. Due to normal attrition rates, there were typically two classes each in grades two through five. Sixty seats opened in Milwaukee French Immersion’s K5 and first grade classes following the 2000 introduction of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program, which lowered class sizes in schools district-wide.
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Move to Our Current Building
- In fall of 2004, Milwaukee French Immersion School opened its doors at 2360 N. 52nd Street, in the building that formerly housed Steuben Middle School. This relocation made expansion possible in the entry-level grades: 75 seats each in K4, K5, and first-grade classrooms
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Continuing Commitment
- Today’s Milwaukee French Immersion School parents, students, and staff maintain a deep commitment to immersion education. Many staff enroll their children at MFIS, drawn to its caring atmosphere and high academic standards. French Immersion alumni continue to visit and contact the school, keeping the staff informed of their successes
