May
20
A New and Important Wave of MPS Principals
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | May 20, 2011 | 1 Comment
Milwaukee Schools Superintendent Gregory Thornton has released the first wave of his selections for new principals for Milwaukee Public Schools. As I described in a Journal Sentinel column a few weeks ago, Thornton is facing an unusual number of principal vacancies, in large part because of retirements triggered by the changes Republican Gov. Scott Walker [...]
May
12
Will Three- and Four-Year-Olds Keep Free Busing to Kindergarten?
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | May 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Carrying broad and deep cuts, including almost 1,000 fewer employees, the budget proposed for Milwaukee Public Schools for next year has left at least one member of the School Board, Annie Woodward, suggesting that the board should just refuse to pass the budget. It may seem tempting to other members, but the board is nonetheless [...]
May
11
National Momentum for School Vouchers
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | May 11, 2011 | 2 Comments
A couple years ago, I would have said that the growth prospects for school voucher plans were not good. Proposals to allow students to attend private and religious schools using public money had died in several states, court rulings had not been favorable in places such as Florida where there were strongly worded constitutional bans [...]
Mar
11
Doing the Basics Right: Wendy Kopp on the Road to Education Transformation
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | March 11, 2011 | 1 Comment
I remember watching a television interview in which a famous tennis player described his first appearance in a big-time tournament. He said he always wondered what was said during breaks in such matches when the player and his coach conferred. He figured there must be some kind of sophisticated strategy talk fit for the top [...]
Mar
2
Is the End (of MPS) Near?
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | March 2, 2011 | 7 Comments
Is this the end of Milwaukee Public Schools? I kind of doubt it, but the fact you can ask that question seriously says something about the depth of the crisis facing the state’s largest and most problem-filled school district. Put together the cuts outlined in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal with the end of federal [...]
Feb
14
Will MPS Get Squeezed Extra Hard?
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | February 14, 2011 | 1 Comment
We’re entering uncharted territory when it comes to school issues statewide. I think it was clear from pretty far back that Gov. Scott Walker and Republican leaders in the Legislature were going to push for state employees and for teachers across the state (who are not state employees, but the state can influence their job [...]
Feb
9
WEAC and MTEA: This Is War (I Expect)
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | February 9, 2011 | 6 Comments
The decision by the state’s largest teachers organization, the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), to alter its stands on teacher evaluation and advocate breaking from the traditional method of paying teachers was not such a huge surprise for those who had been following statements from union leaders in recent months. The educational and political landscapes [...]
Jan
25
And What Should We Do About Third-Graders’ Reading Proficiency?
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | January 25, 2011 | 7 Comments
Gov. Scott Walker told school leaders from Wisconsin in a speech last week that he wants all children to read at grade level when they finish third grade. Conquering the basics of reading by that point is widely held by educators to be a key to long-term success for students. Walker used the phrases used [...]
Dec
1
Doyle Puts Health Care and Education at the Top of His Accomplishments
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | December 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Appearing relaxed and comfortable as the end of his eight years in office approaches, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday that he put his work on health care in Wisconsin at the top of his list of accomplishments. “We have made Wisconsin really the health care leader in the United States,” Doyle said during an [...]
Nov
12
LA Students Drive Home the Message of Success in Education at Law School Conference
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | November 12, 2010 | 1 Comment
The speech by Raj Vinnakota and the panel discussion from this conference can be viewed by clicking here. Raj Vinnakota and Rafe Esquith have some real differences in how they approach educating children who come from backgrounds that are connected with low success rates in education. Each has taken decidedly different paths to becoming a [...]
Nov
3
The Post-Election Education Landscape: Vouchers Up, WEAC Down
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | November 3, 2010 | 2 Comments
Two quick education-related comments on Tuesday’s election outcomes in Wisconsin: First, this was a banner outcome in the eyes of voucher and charter school leaders. Governor-elect Scott Walker is a long-time ally of those promoting the 20,000-plus-student private school voucher program in the city of Milwaukee, and he is a booster of charter schools both [...]
Oct
13
Thornton Confident MPS “Can Crack the Code” to Overcoming Poverty’s Effects
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | October 13, 2010 | 1 Comment
Gregory Thornton is looking for the code. Poverty makes it harder to figure out. But he thinks it can be done. He’s determined to do it. The code the new Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent referred to in an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” session Tuesday at the Law School’s Eckstein Hall, is the way [...]
Blog Editors
- Alan Borsuk
- Bruce E. Boyden
- Edward A. Fallone
- Melissa L. Greipp
- Scott C. Idleman
- Lisa Mazzie
- Michael M. O'Hear
- Ryan Scoville
