Back to School is Here! A Look at Our Summer and What’s Ahead
As summer comes to an end and the 2025-26 school year begins, we want to wish the Racine County community a great year! The back-to-school season is always a time of energy, excitement, and new possibilities. At Higher Expectations, we’ve spent the summer preparing alongside families and partners to make sure this school year is filled with opportunity and growth.
Here’s a look at some of what we’ve been up to:
Parents Leading the Way
Our Parent Grade Leads (PGLs) had a busy summer building their skills and confidence as leaders in schools and the community. With guidance from our Data Impact Manager, Ben, parents dove into how to interpret and use school data to inform decisions and advocate for stronger outcomes for students.
Later in the summer, Ron Willis from Racine Unified School District joined us to lead a session on leadership and engagement. Parents then brainstormed strategies for connecting with families during open houses and at the start of the year.
Strengthening The Wisconsin Partnership
Our team joined our fellow StriveTogether partners, Building Our Future, Achieve Brown County, and Milwaukee Succeeds to continue strengthening The Wisconsin Partnership. Together, we envisioned the future of place-based infrastructure in Wisconsin, identified resources to advance our work, and continued advocating for strong early education policy.
We also celebrated a historic policy win for early childhood education. The Wisconsin Partnership and our hundreds of statewide allies successfully advocated for a $330 million investment in early care and education in the 2025–27 state budget.
This unprecedented commitment includes $110 million in direct payments to child care providers to help keep doors open, reduce waitlists, and lower costs for families. The creation of a $65 million School Readiness Program at the Department of Children and Families, providing ongoing state support for 4-year-olds in child care programs. And expanded access for families who rely on Wisconsin Shares, ensuring more children can access affordable, quality care.
For the first time, Wisconsin has made a sustained state investment directly into child care — a critical step toward creating a stable and thriving early care and education sector.
Together with our partners across the state, the Wisconsin Partnership will continue to advocate for proactive, sustainable policies that support children, families, and educators.
We also welcomed a new Wisconsin Partnership Director who will guide and support our collaboration across the state.
(Stay tuned for a formal introduction soon!)
Sharing Local Success Nationally
Our Data Impact Manager, Ben, and leaders from Racine Unified School District presented at StriveTogether’s 8th Grade Math Outcome Area Convening. They shared Racine’s approach to improving student learning in math — a powerful example of how local partnership drives real change.
FAST FAFSA
This summer also marked the close of Year Two of our FAST FAFSA initiative in partnership with Building Our Future. Our Financial Aid Support Team (FAST) consisted of local college students from both Racine and Kenosha, who worked directly with students and families to complete the FAFSA, helping unlock access to financial aid and higher education.
Academies of Racine
We participated in the Academies of Racine Steering Committee and contributed to the district’s 4.0 strategic planning process, seeking to develop strategies to increase postsecondary enrollment, ensuring more students have the opportunity to continue their education and pursue long-term economic mobility.. The Academies are Racine Unified School District’s career and technical education model that connects students’ classroom learning to real-world experiences and career pathways.
By linking coursework with local employers and higher education partners, the Academies of Racine give students opportunities to explore careers, earn credentials, and graduate better prepared for college and the workforce.
We’re excited to continue supporting this important work and contributing to the district’s long-term vision for student success.
Looking Ahead
From parents stepping into leadership roles, to statewide partners advancing shared goals, to students preparing for their futures — this summer was full of momentum.
As we begin the new school year, Higher Expectations remains committed to transforming systems so everyone in Racine County has the opportunity to thrive. We have lots of awesome initiatives planned with our partners, data, parent engagement, and youth engagement. Follow Higher Expectations on social media (Facebook, Instagram, or Linkedin), subscribe to our newsletter, and watch for our blog posts to stay up to date on our work!
We look forward to walking alongside students, families, and partners throughout this year and beyond. Here’s to a successful 2024–25 school year!
Sincerely,
The Higher Expectations Team (Elizabeth, Leslie, Ben, Celeste, Leanna, and Lizeth)
