Superintendent Underly’s State of Education Address described a world where diversity and equity consultants were schools’ superheroes in lieu of teachers and parents, where the neediest kids got extra help instead of being locked out of their schools, and where Wisconsin spent pennies on education rather than being 17th nationally. In the real world, Superintendent Underly’s performance has made schools less safe, less attended, and less productive.
We must make our public schools stronger than they’ve ever been, but Supt. Underly’s ideas are uninspired.
- Spend $1 billion more? Wisconsin already spends more per student than it did a decade ago, but we haven’t improved.
- Ensure kids read books about people like them? That’s already happening.
- Invest in special education? Where’s the plan?
This autumn, IRG will provide real education reforms to those who want an incredible education for every child.
- Copy “the reading miracle” in other states: refocus teachers on phonics, flag struggling kids early, and don’t force kids who can’t read into middle school.
- Create an “honors track” for the trades: incentivize advanced courses, foster business partnerships, and loosen limits on apprenticeships as school credit.
- Recruit better online course vendors for rural schoolchildren.
- Get teachers less debt and more real-world experience through teacher apprenticeships.
- Make special education teachers’ jobs easier: increase special needs funding, unify paperwork, and cut red tape.
The only way to a prosperous Wisconsin is through high-flying schools. IRG will work with anyone who wants to get there.