School Information System

Civics: “the almost total subservience of the education system to the ideologies of the left”

Joel Kotkin:

Take the judiciary. Despite two Trump terms, much of the judiciary retains a left-wing bias that comes naturally through progressive control of the bar and especially law schools that churn out activist, woke judges. Similarly, nothing Trump has done has fundamentally altered the almost total subservience of the education system to the ideologies of the left.

Even the corporate elite, notably Wall Street and Silicon Valley, will likely welcome the Restoration with glee. Even though some genuflected to Trump, their hearts were never in it. Certainly, the AI megagiants like Anthropic and Meta have continued to pour money into the Democratic Party. Their employees, reliably progressive, will be singing hosannas as they donate to left-wing candidates. The much-ballyhooed tech shift to the right, suggests the San Francisco Chronicle, turned out to be ‘a mirage’.

Most of the media will also breathe a sigh of relief. Even with the Ellisons’ capture of CBS and CNN, which has terrified progressives, the bulk of major outlets – NBC, ABC, the New York Times, the Washington Post – remain firmly committed to the Democratic Party’s various agendas, even including that of the Democratic Socialists of America.

——-

“They were relieved that American classes are so much easier than those in Taiwan”

“Overfunded”

Notes and links on the taxpayer funded Wisconsin DPI and Jill Underly.

“Did you know my school was bad like this when you decided to put me here?” she asked.

Madison’s district, despite an elite university pipeline, hypereducated leadership, and a shiny, new strategic plan, suffers the same frailties as Milwaukee’s: basement performance, backbreaking spending. But while Milwaukee is pulling out of its tailspin due to courageouschoices from the top, Madison is ponderously ambling to nowhere. Just ask the locals. “You need the marketing, and you need the product,” as a parent told a reporter. “I’m missing the product.”

2025-2026 Madison 4k-3rd grade Early Literacy Screener report: The bar moves faster than the kids. 

Joe Gothard, Becky Kundert and Sonia Spencer Remarks on Madison’s K-12 Literacy Crisis.

2026-2027 Madison K-12 $pending continues to grow, fueled by a 9.7% (!) property tax increase. Total spending will be at least $706,000,000 for 25,003 students, or $28,236 per student.

May 2026 Madison School District Presentation: 7,095 adults for 25,003 students (3.52 students per adult!)

2024-2025 Early Literacy Screener Map.

Map: Foundations of Reading Results: 2015–2024

Where have all the students gone?

More. Act 20.

3,887 Madison 4 year old to third grade students scored lower than 75% of the students in the national comparison group.

“application bloat”

Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average k-12 tax & $pending. This despite our long term, disastrous reading results. May, 2026: 7,095 Staff for 25,003 students; $pending > $26k per student!

Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability

The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…

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.

A.B.T.: “Ain’t been taught.”

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

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.

“An emphasis on adult employment”

Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]

WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators

Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results

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?

China’s PhD Glut Drives Top Graduates to High School Teaching Jobs

Share

Fast Lane Literacy™ by sedso

all

Explore teaching tips and learn more about the word all.