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.
7
1980
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
7
1985
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.
7
2004
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
7
2012
Foundation Created
Together, families and faculty started the Milwaukee French Immersion Foundation in 2012 to provide enriching academic and cultural opportunities to the school’s current students and alumni who continue their French-language studies at Milwaukee School of Languages
7
Today
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
