Madison K-12 Governance amidst Fights at East High School

Elizabeth Beyer:

Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, said the conflicts are likely driven by a combination of factors, including the city and school district’s move to pull police officers, known as school resource officers, or SROs, out of the high schools without a solid plan for what to do without them; students being away from school so long due to the COVID-19 pandemic; youths dealing with a host of problems, including trauma, made worse by the pandemic; issues from the community spilling over into the schools; and some youths losing hope.

One third of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County staff are working in Madison’s schools, Johnson said, giving the organization firsthand awareness of the issues that are playing out.

Wracked by on-going fighting in Madison’s public schools, the board of education is meeting in special session Monday 11-15-21 at 5 p.m. It can be livestreamed on the Madison School Board YouTube page. Live virtual comment sign-up begins at 4:30 p.m.E-mail comments beginning today. Instructions here. (Do not be so foolish as to list your street address. Just type a generic word.) The school board plans to go into closed session sometime during Monday’s meeting.

The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”

2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results 

Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.

My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results

“An emphasis on adult employment”

Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]

WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators

Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.

When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?