Education
Madison Metropolitan School District
Making summer school fun?
The Madison school district is doing something new this year for students in kindergarten through seventh grade: adding enrichment classes to the summer school curriculum. more
Dylan Brogan
Come for the trolls, stay for the bee
Mount Horeb hosts one hell of an adult spelling bee that draws a big crowd. Staff writer Dylan Brogan has the blow-by-blow of this year’s competition. more
Circumvention
For years, Isthmus Montessori Academy has been unsuccessfully trying to get the Madison school district to give it public school status. But the progressive school found another route — through a program created by conservative Republicans. more
David Michael Miller
The surprising survival of WEAC
WEAC has lost more than half of its dues-paying members, and lost clout in its elections. But teachers still value its union and it is far from dead. more
“Swamped” with special needs kids?
Madison school supt. Jennifer Cheatham scolds Badger Rock officials for saying students w/ disabilities have created a “burdensome situation” at the charter school. more
Boy Scouts go coed
The Boy Scouts of America announced Oct. 11 that it will allow girls to join for the first time in the organization’s more than 100-year history. Many are cheering the move as family-friendly, but it’s more complicated than that. more
David Michael Miller
The worst ideas from Andy Gronik’s StageW
Parisi is out, but Milwaukee businessman and Democrat Andy Gronik is pondering a challenge to Gov. Scott Walker. He has no experience, but he’s rich. So he must be qualified. more
David Michael Miller
Ties that bind
The governor’s budget gives school districts a $200-per-student boost in funding, but there’s a catch. To get the money, district employees must pay 12 percent of their health insurance premiums. more
David Michael Miller
College tuition: Work for it!
There is a real and growing problem of student debt that has to be addressed in some way, and even converting a 5 percent tuition cut to means-tested programs won’t be nearly enough. Why not pay students to work for their tuition? more
Electing “a governor” of the schools
Tony Evers is being challenged by three candidates for state superintendent of public instruction. Although the candidates share some goals, their solutions are vastly different. more
Isthmus Montessori Academy
Charter debate
Supporters of Isthmus Montessori Academy want to make it more inclusive by making it a part of the Madison school district. But they have failed to win over Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham. more
David Michael Miller
Taking from kids to build roads
Wisconsin roads need help. So do our schools. But neither looks like it will get much help in the upcoming state budget. more
Wake up!
Substantial research shows that making middle and high school children get up early for school can damage their health and education. But it could cost Madison schools $2 million to delay middle school starting times. more
David Michael Miller
The greater good
For progressives, the real challenge is to push back against a vision of society that says kids should only get as much health care, education and opportunity as their parents can afford. more
Pathways pilot program to debut
The Madison school district is rolling out a new career-focused program designed to help close the achievement gap. But some parents are confused and concerned by Personalized Pathways. more
David Michael Miller
Back of the ballot
The Nov. 8 ballot includes a $26 million request from Madison schools, which officials say is needed to maintain operations. Without the money, they say deeper cuts are inevitable. more
Mary Langenfeld
School assignments
Madison’s educational resource officers are cops who work in high schools. Viewed with suspicion by many, their role has been scrutinized. The four officers all came to police work in roundabout ways and are driven by a desire to help children. more
Andy Manis
The write stuff
One in seven adults in Dane County struggles with literacy. The Literacy Network of Dane County offers help and has moved into a new, larger space off of Park Street. more
David Michael Miller
Challenging behavior
Madison’s behavior education plan marked a shift in policy away from the district’s more punitive “zero-tolerance” approach. Its implementation has been rocky, and teachers have reported an uptick in bad behavior in the classroom. more
Campus of the future
For 167 years, UW-Madison has been constantly growing and evolving. Much of this change has been by design, as planners craft a master plan for the future every 10 years. UW-Madison — and higher ed in general — could be in for radical changes. more
