Madison Commons (https://madisoncommons.org/category/education/)
Amid vaccine delays and the spread of new COVID-19 variants, parents and teachers have mixed reactions to the announcement that Madison Metropolitan School District will resume in-person instruction for grades 4k-2 starting this week. Our Courtney Degen spoke with several parents and teachers for their reactions, and heard many concerns on the complex issue.
In an effort to avoid a spike in COVID-19 cases on campus and throughout the surrounding community like that seen last fall, the University of Wisconsin-Madison instituted a new, more rigorous saliva-based COVID-19 testing regimen this semester, creating a difficult transition for students returning to campus.
The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) may look to beef up staffing for its special education programs following a proposed funding increase for special education programs statewide.
Access to quality education is at risk for housing-insecure children in Madison as their families face the economic blowback of COVID-19 and the end of an eviction moratorium looms.
Governor Evers announced a $30 million CARES Act fund on Sept. 3, which directs $25 million towards the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program. The next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a national eviction moratorium in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. However, come Dec. 31, families will be to pay their accumulated rent. If they are unable to do so, they will be evicted, putting children’s access to quality remote learning at risk.
In a semester that many have called “unprecedented,” students say they are simply “trying to cope” and “find normalcy” in their experiences on campus.
In the wake of the COVID-19 public health crisis, a new Madison-based nonprofit startup is working to bridge the widening achievement gap due to the current global pandemic. On September 14, Pandemic Learning Tutors service, launched its tutoring service and has already begun recruiting and working with students in Dane county.
Private schools across Dane County are planning to reopen their classrooms as early as Monday after the Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily blocked an order issued by Public Health Madison & Dane County that had barred in-person instruction for grades 3-12.
A virtual reception hosted by local Black leaders to welcome Carlton Jenkins as the new superintendent of Madison schools was filled with overwhelming excitement and deep sense of hope, as Jenkins said his move to Madison to address educational disparities is his contribution to the movement inspired by the death of George Floyd.
Earlier this summer, a number of current and former Badger student-athletes shared their desire to alter the color of the university's "Crest W" on their athletic uniforms to display solidarity with Black students and other underrepresented groups on campus.
In a press conference Friday, School Board President Gloria Reyes detailed the thoughtful and tedious nature of the decision, sharing that hiring a superintendent “is the most important decision a school board makes.” Noting the importance of community feedback and dialogue, Reyes emphasized that throughout the process board members maintained a confidence in Jenkins’ leadership and experience.