Education
Elizabeth Warren’s plan would help Milwaukee public schools
Recently, U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren rolled out an impressive plan to ensure every child in this country can get a great education at a public school. As newly elected members of the Milwaukee School Board of Directors we are charged with advocating for our students and community. We feel strongly that […]
As Milwaukee enters the school referendum race, it should look to St. Paul
The Milwaukee public school district is at the starting blocks, ready to run the referendum race in April 2020. Crossing the finish line with a successful school referendum is not a given, but in the past few years, Wisconsin’s school districts have scored an impressive string of victories persuading their local taxpayers to fund both […]
As DPI releases school report cards, public school advocates give legislators report cards of their own
Today, as the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction issued its annual school and school-district report cards, a public-school advocacy group released its own ratings — grading state legislators. The report cards, created by the Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN), assess lawmakers in each of five categories based on their most recent budget votes. The categories […]
Rightwing groups sue state over test score report
The rightwing Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), claiming the agency violated state law by “selectively” releasing data on test scores from charter and private voucher schools. WILL is representing School Choice Wisconsin (SCW), WILL Research Director Will Flanders, and Matt […]
Milwaukee schools look for results from ‘Ambitious Instruction’
For two hours on Wednesday evening, Oct. 16, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Keith Posley and his staff outlined before the school board their vision of “Ambitious Instruction.” Board members complimented the administration on a well-developed instructional plan to raise academic achievement. But there was also an undercurrent of skepticism from board members that the administration […]
More controversy over Madison schools’ zero-tolerance policy on racial slurs
At a tearful press conference Friday afternoon, Sandra Rivera, a school social worker at the Nuestro Mundo Community School in Madison, appeared with her lawyer and the executive director of her union to speak out about what she described as unjust disciplinary action against her by the school district under its zero-tolerance policy for using […]
Arcadia school board votes to restore bus service
On Monday night the Arcadia school board reversed a controversial decision to deny bus service to students who live within two miles of school. The board voted unanimously to add the entire two-mile area around the school to the district’s “unusually hazardous transportation plan,” The decision to cut back bus service this year, after years […]
Wisconsin’s school voucher expansion costs districts millions
The public can now find out how much each school district in Wisconsin will have to levy in property taxes to make up for the cost of paying for private school vouchers. But you’ll need to put on your reading glasses and brush up on Excel to hunt down the numbers. Data released this week […]
Midwest racial gaps grow
Industrial expansion and unionization helped improve the lives of many black families even in the face of segregation. When industry declined and unions shrank, their fortunes reversed.
Sexual assault on the UW-Madison campus
Resources and services for victims and survivors of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking are available on campus and in the Madison community or email [email protected] Today UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank addressed the campus and community in an open letter after results of a national 2019 survey on sexual assault on campus showed […]
ICE raids and a battle over Arcadia’s school bus route
Arcadia, a small town in western Wisconsin, near the Minnesota border, has seen a huge influx of immigrants from Latin America in recent years. Some 40% of the town’s 3,000 residents are Latino, according to the Census. In surrounding Trempealeau County, where immigrants make up the bulk of the workforce on local dairy farms, the […]
The teacher’s life: K-12 teachers plagued with high college debt, low wages
Young teachers attempting to start their careers with K-12 students are burdened by high college debt, which might be one more factor behind the teacher shortage. According to the Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), Wisconsin ranks in the nation’s top ten states for students leaving college with loan debt. In 2018, graduates with loans […]