Image by Sara Torda on Pixabay Monday, the Madison Metro School Board voted unanimously to lower the number of credits needed for graduation, from 23 to 15 credits during the pandemic. The board is also asking the state to waive a mandatory civics exam. Since 2017, students must pass a test identical to the US citizenship […]
Virtual Learning Starts for Madison Public Schools
Sara Wuchte is talking to her eight 2nd and 3rd graders during their morning meeting on YouTube. Wuchte is a special education teacher at Elvehjem Elementary, but Sara’s not at school. Instead, she is talking to students from our living room. She wasn’t able to have closure with her students when in-person classes were abruptly cancelled […]
Seeking Answers: Madison Residents Face Uncertainty in Unemployment
Last week, nearly 70,000 Wisconsinites applied for unemployment insurance as many businesses have begun to close in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Last year, just over 5,200 residents applied for unemployment over the same week. And just yesterday, 10,872 people filed for unemployment in Wisconsin, nearly 10,000 more than did on that date […]
Some Black Community Leaders Oppose Superintendent Hire
Matthew Gutiérrez is currently the superintendent of the Seguin Independent School District near San Antonio, Texas. Later this year, Gutiérrez will become the next superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District. The school board unanimously chose him to lead the district last month, but a group of leaders in Madison’s black community have expressed concerns […]
Madison Teachers Union Demands Changes to District Gender Policies
Last month, Frank Allis Elementary School teacher Vica Steel shared an open letter with Our Lives magazine saying that the Madison Metro School District had asked school staff to no longer use the same bathrooms as students. According to Steel, who is an out transgender woman, no other schools received this request and her cisgender […]
Wisconsin Educators Push For Phonics in Schools
While Madison students struggle to read, an ideological battle rages between proponents of different teaching styles. Last month, the state took a strong new stance on phonics education in schools. Recently, the state’s Department of Public Instruction announced it would recommend more Wisconsin classrooms use explicit phonics instruction. It’s the most recent development in the […]
