Wisconsin Career Academy
Page created August 18, 2013
Wisconsin Career Academy was a publicly-funded charter school in Milwaukee, operating from the 2000-01 through the 2011-12 school year. It then converted to a private voucher school called the Wisconsin College Preparatory Academy. As a voucher school, it continued to receive public money.
Wisconsin Career Academy was a publicly-funded charter school in Milwaukee, operating from the 2000-01 through the 2011-12 school year. It then converted to a private voucher school called the Wisconsin College Preparatory Academy. As a voucher school, it continued to receive public money.
On August 1, 2013, a Milwaukee news outlet ran a story ("College applicant told charter school diploma is worthless") about a graduate from Wisconsin Career Academy who had applied to Milwaukee Career College and was told she would have to get a GED (high school equivalency exam) because her high school was not accredited.
Although in its latter years Wisconsin Career Academy was not officially listed as a "member school" on the Concept Schools website, it was a de facto member with many ties to Concept, which is the management corporation of a large chain of Gulen charter schools in the Midwest. Its website had the same design and same sky-blue background picture as other Concept schools, and large segments of text concerning its school model and curriculum were identical to that on other Concept Schools websites. A login webpage can still be viewed on the web showing how the Concept Schools website was used as a portal for accessing Wisconsin Career Academy's student information system:
http://0910wiscca.conceptschools.net/
http://0910wiscca.conceptschools.net/
The connection of Wisconsin Career Academy to the Gulen Movement and the national network of Gulen charter schools (including the Concept Schools chain) is shown by the multiple affiliations, both past and present, of the following individuals.
Yuksel Alp Aslandogan (according to several websites such as Intelius, alias Yuksel A. Conger)
- Spokesman for the Gulen Movement in a Jan 21, 2011 PBS article that clearly makes a connection between the Gulen Movement and Harmony Public Schools
- Founder of Wisconsin Career Academy (Gulen charter school) with Harun H. Solak, Zekeriya Baskal, Ahmet H. Aydilek and Melen M. Dogan
- Petitioner, Horizon Math and Science Charter School at Oak Park and Des Plaines (proposed Gulen charter schools in Illinois, 2000)
- President, North American College (Gulenist institution)
- Director, Texas Gulf Foundation (Gulenist)
- School Director, Texas Gulf Institute (Gulenist)
- Fielded questions in Q&A session on Gulen Movement at Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 17, 2009
- Vice president of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog (Gulenist)
- Speaker, 2007 Gulen Conference in London
- Bought property at 4444 N Classen Blvd, Oklahoma City OK from Sky Foundation on Aug 27, 2010 for $1,025,000. Sky Foundation is charter holder for Dove Science Academy. Sold property exactly 4 months later on Dec 27, 2010 to Rain Drop Foundation (Gulenist) for $650,000. The Rain Drop Foundation runs the Raindrop Turkish House.
- Wife Dilara Cavus (Aslandogan) is/was teacher at Harmony Public Schools
Ahmet Halit Aydilek
- Board member, Chesapeake Science Point (Gulen charter school)
- Founder, Wisconsin Career Academy (Gulen charter school) with Yuksel Alp Aslandogan
- International Antalya University a.k.a. Antalya International University, International University of Antalya (Gulen institution in Turkey)
Gultekin “John” Aytekin
- Horizon Science Academy Cleveland (Gulen charter school)
- Horizon Science Academy Columbus (Gulen charter school)
- Principal, Indiana Math and Science Academy (Gulen charter school now managed by Concept Schools)
- Wisconsin Career Academy
- Biology Teacher, International Computer High School, Constanta, Romania (private Gulen school)
Engin Blackstone, a.k.a. Engin Karatas
- Principal, Quest Charter Academy (Gulen charter school)
- Principal, Horizon Science Academy Toledo (Gulen charter school)
- Horizon Science Academy Denison Middle School (Gulen charter school)
- Chicago Math and Science Academy (Gulen charter school)
- Wisconsin Career Academy
Yasar Bora
- Superintendent, Concept Schools
- Principal, Wisconsin Career Academy
- Applicant (with Yuksel Alp Aslandogan, Ibrahim Duyar, Ali Serdar Dalkilic, Ergun Koyuncu and Mehmet Yorukoglu) for two Horizon Math and Science Academy charter school applications in Illinois in 2000 (failed Gulen charter school applications)
Tarik Celik
- Texas Turkish American Chamber of Commerce (Gulenist)
- Turkish American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeast US (Gulenist)
- Executive Director, Istanbul Center (Gulenist)
- Executive Director, Milwaukee Regional Art Fair-MRAF (Gulenist)
- Executive Director, Wisconsin Career Academy
- Executive Director, Milwaukee Regional Science and Engineering Fair-MRSEF (Gulenist)
- Dean, Virginia International University (Gulenist)
Ibrahim Duyar
- Founder (with Serhan Dagtas) of LISA Academy (Gulen charter school)
- Former Board President, LISA Academy (Gulen charter school)
- CEO, Wisconsin Career Academy
Ihsan Inegol
- Accountant, Wisconsin Career Academy
- Accountant, Concept Schools (management corporation of Midwest Gulen charter school chain)
Kemal Kaman
- Director, Wisconsin Career Academy
- Chicago Math and Science Academy (Gulen charter school)
- Horizon Science Academy Dayton (Gulen charter school)
Fatih Kandil
- Principal, Chesapeake Science Point (Gulen charter school)
- Principal, Baltimore IT Academy (2012-13) (Gulen charter school)
- Applicant, Loudoun Math & IT Academy, Virginia, 2012 (proposed Gulen charter school)
- Applicant, First State Math and Science Academy, Delaware, 2010 (proposed Gulen charter school that never materialized)
- Director, Horizon Science Academy, Dayton, Ohio (Gulen charter school)
- Teacher, Wisconsin Career Academy (Gulen charter school converted to private Gulen school in summer 2012) 2002-2005
- Teacher, Chicago Math and Science Academy (Gulen charter school in IL) 2000-2002
- Teacher, Brooklyn Amity School (private Gulen school in NY) 1999-2000
Ergun "Eric" Koyuncu
- Niagara Educational Services (parent company of the Niagara Foundation)
- Concept Schools (management corporation of Midwest Gulen charter school chain)
- Wisconsin Career Academy
Murtaza “Taz” Ozdemir
- Technology and Assessment Coordinator, Paterson Charter School of Science and Technology (Gulen charter school)
- Member of team that developed Student Database System (SDS) at Paterson Charter School of Science and Technology
- Teacher, Pribadi Indonesian-Turkish Boarding School, Indonesia (private Gulen school)
- Teacher, Horizon Science Academy, Cleveland, Ohio (Gulen charter school)
- Math teacher, Wisconsin Career Academy (Gulen charter school)
Faik Rauf Tanriseven
- Horizon Science Academy Toledo (Gulen charter school)
- Wisconsin Career Academy
- Horizon Science Academy Springfield (Gulen charter school)
Omer Yazganoglu
- Milwaukee Math and Science Academy (Gulen charter school)
- Wisconsin Career Academy