SAGE was created in 1995, based upon the work of a special task force appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to study the condition of urban education in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Urban Initiative Task Force developed a program to guarantee academic achievement for needy children through lower class sizes, the use of school facilities as community centers, rigorous curricula, and increased professional development for educators.

The SAGE program began in the 1996-97 school year with 30 schools in 21 districts.

SAGE served kindergarten through third-grade students in 78 schools in 46 school districts in the 1999-2000 school year.

Participating districts receive $2,000 per student and are required to meet specific "contractual" requirements with the Department of Public Instruction and also to take part in an extensive evaluation of the program conducted by the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In addition, districts agree to turn schools into "lighted schoolhouses" that are open for extended hours, to develop rigorous academic programs, and to establish and implement plans for staff development and accountability.

Evaluation of the first three years of the program showed that students in the SAGE schools scored significantly higher than students in the comparison schools in reading, language arts, and mathematics.

The state will provide an additional $37 million to allow approximately 400 more schools to join in the 2000-01 school year. A new $3 million categorical aid program was also created to reimburse school districts for 20% of debt service costs related to the construction of new classrooms for the SAGE program.