Education
Kori Feener
Found in translation
Nkaujnou Vang-Vue is the MMSD’s first Hmong American principal. She oversees a special Hmong-English bilingual program at Lake View elementary. Read more
Listening comprehension
The Madison school district is looking to revamp its literacy curriculum. But many parents and community members feel locked out of the process. Read more
Joe Tarr
Edgewood College students protest removal of Planned Parenthood links
Edgewood College students wanted answers as to why the administration removed links to Planned Parenthood from its wellness information. But the college’s interim president, Mary Ellen Gevelinger, abruptly canceled a meeting with them. Read more
An elementary move for equity
There are a whole lot of elementary-age children living in the Moorland-Rimrock neighborhood, but they are bussed to schools far from home. Read more
A loopy idea
We have real needs in Wisconsin when it comes to education. So why are lawmakers wasting time on a bill to require the teaching of cursive? Read more
Jenny Peek
Loaded terms
The Madison school board is reconsidering a practice that led to the firing of an African American employee for explaining to a student why it is wrong to use a racial slur. Read more
Mary Langenfeld
Our Civics Duty
Wisconsin is one of 10 states in the country that does not require students to take a dedicated course in civics. Could that be part of the reason we have low interest in public service, decreasing media literacy and a growing partisan divide? Read more
Cameron Bren
Community building
The Bridge-Lakepoint-Waunona Neighborhood Center has thrived in two small apartment buildings on the city’s southside. With $2 million in city funding, organizers have big dreams for what a brand new facility could accomplish. Read more
Matt Ammerman/Madison College
A college for the community
Residents of Madison’s historically underserved south side have big hopes for Madison College’s new Goodman South campus. Read more
Invest in the UW
There are a lot of college rankings out these days. But one thing is clear: increasing public investment in our public’s universities would be in everyone’s best interest Read more
David Michael Miller
The GOP’s education deception
Republican lawmakers are spinning their evisceration of Gov. Evers’ budget, talking about their “historic investment” in schools. They’re deliberately obscuring the facts. Read more
The world has changed, Dave, and student loan debt is a bad thing
Today student loan debt is the second leading form of consumer debt in the country, exceeding credit card and auto loan debt. Borrowers worked hard to get their education, but they are trapped in a system that treats them unfairly. Read more
Sound it out
Many students in Madison lag behind their peers around the country in reading skills. Behind the scenes a pedagogical debate rages over how kids should be taught to read. Read more
Forgiving college debt isn’t progressive
When we write off student debt it means that other taxpayers have to pay for the poor judgment of those who got themselves into this predicament. Read more
David Michael Miller
Another failing grade
School districts need stable, predictable budgets. It should be written into state law that revenue limits are indexed to inflation. Read more
A rotten year
A lot people in Madison are wondering what the hell is happening in our schools. Even Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham has called it a “trying year.” Isthmus talked to nearly 30 teachers to find out what’s happening behind the scenes. Read more
David Michael Miller
Student debt crisis grows
From 2007 to 2017 the average debt of Wisconsin’s college graduates increased nearly 50 percent. And more than half — 64 percent — of Wisconsin’s students left with debt. Read more
Narayan Mahon
Jennifer Cheatham resigning as Madison school superintendent
Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham is expected to announce her resignation at a May 8 news conference. Read more
Carolyn Fath Ashby
Family threatens Leopold principal after student’s false accusation
A family rushed to Leopold Elementary on March 15 believing their fifth grader had been struck by the principal. They threatened to beat the principal’s “white ass,” but video surveillance showed the student fabricated the incident. Read more
