This may be hard to believe, but there appears to be something Republicans and Democrats can agree on. A poll commissioned by PublicSchoolOptions.org, a pro-school choice group active in Michigan and other states, has found voters of all political persuasions think school closures should not be based on test scores alone.
Read more here.
MILWAUKEE – New enrollment figures released from the state Department of Public Instruction show parental interest in the state’s three private school choice programs continues to grow.
The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program grew 2 percent over last year, while the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program expanded by 21 percent, according to the data, released earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Racine Parental Choice Program increased 20 percent.
Keep reading here.
Your child could be dressed in the coolest apparel and be involved in every sport, yet may still be subjected to bullying. Each bullying experience is different because each bully is different. When it comes to gender, in most cases girls tend to use relational aggression while boys are more physical. Boys are often expected to not speak up and to dominate in physical confrontations. Otherwise, they may be called weak and viewed as less of a man.
Continue reading here.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Students and parents could see major changes to Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools in the coming years.
Officials are mulling a plan to spend up to $23 million in facility upgrades, move eighth and ninth grades out of East Junior High and shift Vesper Community Academy to a different building, according to options that district administrators unveiled Monday at a School Board meeting.
“We’re looking at what we think is best for kids,” Superintendent Colleen Dickmann said.
Continue reading this article here.
“Everyone here is either bullying someone or being bullied. The teachers say if you have a problem, go see them — but they do nothing about it.”
“They say they have a zero tolerance for bullying which is A COMPLETE LIE. People are bullied, they try to get help, and then they get NO HELP and continue to get bullied.”
“I think that the school should be more controlling on cyber-bullying. They are not aware that their students are being bullied or harassed on social media.”
“I wish that the person who sent me those messages knew how much that hurt, and that I would go to sleep crying ... and be so tired at school because of crying at night.”
These are four of thousands of anonymous comments from students about bullying in their schools. The pain and frustration they describe are hard to take — but in some school districts, what the students are experiencing is very different from what their teachers and principals think is going on.
Keep reading here.
They may not be old enough to cast ballots November 8, but thousands of teenagers around the country are tapping into this uproarious political season through a popular and anonymous mobile messaging app.
After School, a two-year-old app with millions of student users at 20,000 high schools, is hosting a mock presidential election during the last few critical weeks before Election Day.
The app’s Election Center feature went live Friday morning, and as of Monday afternoon, 70,000 students had voted in the mock election, a spokesman said. The choices: Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton, Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, Green Party nominee Jill Stein or Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. Each student gets one vote.
Read more about the app here.
I support and thank state Rep. Robin Vos, who is a strong advocate of school choice. School choice has been an amazing opportunity for my daughter to attend a school where she can receive a great education, be challenged and learn life skills. Without school choice in Racine, we would not have been able to afford HOPE Via.
HOPE Via has been a tremendous blessing to our child. HOPE Via gives our child a chance to attend a great school and learn about Jesus at the same time. Our family is blessed with HOPE Via knowing we are sending our child to a school with a family atmosphere every day of the week.
All families should have the opportunity to participate in school choice because it gives children and their families a wonderful opportunity to receive a great education.
Without school choice, my students would not have access to receive a Christian education. Rep. Vos is making this possible for more and more students across Racine.
Ashly Cruz, Racine
The NAACP made headlines last weekend when its national board officially ratified a resolution calling for a moratorium on charter schools. Leading up to the vote, more than 160 black education leaders asked the NAACP board to reconsider its position, and several major newspaper editorial boards argued against the charter freeze.
Adding to the conversation was Roland Martin, who recently hosted a panel discussion at Howard University in Washington, D.C., with black education leaders holding diverse perspectives on whether charter schools and vouchers ultimately hurt or help kids of color. Martin posed a provocative question to the panelists: Is school choice the black choice? It is for Martin, but the discussion revealed the decades-long chasm in the black community over the issue.
Continue here.
Across the state, about 800 middle and high school students wake up every morning, log on to their computers, and take all of their classes completely online. They’re enrolled in to Maine’s two virtual charter schools. This year, that same, online approach is also being used by brick-and-mortar schools, as well. The track record for online and blended learning is mixed nationally. The question now is if Maine’s schools can buck the trend.
For Tiffany Jones, teaching English only requires a computer and an internet connection.
Keep reading here.
In the mornings, Josh Edwards and his freshman sister wake up, and get ready for school.
As their father Jim drives her to Redondo Union, Josh sits in front of his computer, to start his day at California Connections Academy at Capistrano. The academy, which covers students in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, is an online charter school, which runs through Capistrano Unified School District.
At California Connections, Josh finishes his school day around noon and often doesn't have homework. He's also had the opportunity to take classes such as 3D modeling, Java and AP computer science.
Keep reading here.