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Articles by Shannon Whitworth
The silence breaks: Accountability at last for those who make Milwaukee life unlivable
It has been my observation that excusing black antisocial behavior like the recent “teen takeovers” that we’ve seen in our cities the last couple of years, lest one be deemed a racist, is no longer tolerated. I’ve been saying for years that the days of white liberal guilt are coming to an end and thank God for it. That guilt prevents the American people from being able to have an honest conversation about almost anything as a society.
National test scores show danger of education fads and dumbing down standards | Opinion Original
The accountability missing in Wisconsin’s public education system is driving improvements elsewhere, even in places where it’s most difficult: Louisiana and Mississippi Shannon Whitworth | Special to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Show Caption Hide Caption Galvan on the progress MPS is making towards financial stability Milwaukee Public School Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan addresses the progress MPS has recently made towards financial stability Provided by Wisconsin Department of Public...
National test scores show danger of education fads and dumbing down standards | Opinion
Crash a plane and, rightly, the nation notices. Fail to teach two-thirds of our children to even read, and we all go about our day. Such pervasive failure ought to trigger a nationwide scandal. The latest scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress — dubbed the “Nation’s Report Card” — are now in and the results are bleak. Across the country, scores reached record lows.
OPINION: Arguments that Wisconsin schools are underfunded fall flat. Data shows otherwise. Original
In a recent op-ed published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona articulated a series of criticisms about school choice in Wisconsin, opting instead to defend a failed status quo of one-size-fits-all education. His arguments lean heavily on national talking points commonly used by opponents of school choice, revealing a significant misunderstanding of the realities of Wisconsin’s education landscape, including both school choice options and public education.
Rebuilding a safe, pro-learning culture at an inner-city school
It’s been a rough cultural transition back to schools since the lockdowns, and we are starting to see the price that will be paid for keeping our kids out of the nation’s schools for as long as we did. We are fighting to reclaim our schools for the sake of the children we serve. Some schools, like mine, have been up to the task, but many others have not recovered. I am the Director of the Free Enterprise Academy at Milwaukee Lutheran High School.
Students of color events further division. Separating people by race is bad policy.
Last month, Appleton East High School attempted to throw a back-to-school “Meet & Greet,” but only for its freshman “students of color.” The school subsequently opened the event to all of its freshman students, in large part due to public backlash and the intervention of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty into this clearly unconstitutional behavior by a public entity.
Pennsylvania Shows Teachers Unions Still Own The Democrats
Pennsylvania is a state where there are still Democrats who call themselves “moderates.” But no state has provided a better example of the difference between calling yourself moderate and actually showing some independence from the Democrats’ leftist activist base. For example, the state’s Sen.
Want To Improve Public School Outcomes? End Teacher Licensing
To teach full time in a Wisconsin public school, one must jump through time-consuming, resource-draining hoops to obtain an occupational license.
Want To Improve Public School Outcomes? End Teacher Licensing
Our public schools are failing children by requiring strict, impractical licensing requirements and excluding highly qualified, would-be instructors from entering the teaching profession. We must create flexibility in licensing requirements to allow more experienced people to expand young minds. The kids will see the inherent value in this approach and respond. Our children are starving for people who can provide them with practical skills that will allow them to build a life for themselves.
OPINION: Closing the funding gap for choice schools will build a better Milwaukee future
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service invites community members to submit opinion pieces of 500-800 words on topics of interest to central city Milwaukee. To send a submission for consideration, please email info@milwaukeenns.org. The views expressed are solely those of the authors. Without a quality education, we are failing to set children up for success.
School choice for all now
Wisconsin Spotlight | Sept. 23, 2022 As kids head back to school, this year nearly two million fewer students will attend public schools, which amounts to nearly 4% of America’s K-12 students. Parents see teachers, administrators and boards whose judgment they used to trust, eschewing instruction in critical subjects for social justice indoctrination. Paradoxically, this approach continues to create a demand for school choice which even the staunchest of critics will not be able to stop.
Opinion | Universal school choice would help all Wisconsin families
Nowhere can you see self-proclaimed “progressives” more in opposition to progress than on the issue of school choice in the state of Wisconsin. Over 30 years ago, Wisconsin created the first school choice program in the nation, liberating thousands of families from failing public schools and giving many children, particularly those in our blighted inner cities, their first true chance at a quality education.
The Lasting Damage of School Closures — Chalkboard Review
Recently, in my high school Business Communication class, I had one of the most disheartening conversations I’ve ever had with my students. It was regarding the effects of the pandemic lockdowns. Policymakers and leaders need to listen to these experiences, get students back on track and develop new strategies if we ever have a challenge similar to the COVID-19 pandemic in the future. It was apparent during this conversation that many children under 18 cannot do school by computer.
I'm Watching Students Struggle To Recover From Lockdowns
Lockdowns took a heavy toll on America’s children, a well-documented fact at this point. To some, it may seem the problem is over and we are now in a recovery stage. But working in a school daily, I will tell you this is not the case. Surveys are forecasting teacher shortages ahead as one of many effects of locking down schools and society.
Teacher: I’m Watching Students And Colleagues Struggle To Recover From Lockdowns
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What’s So Frightening about Parochial Schools? | RealClearEducation
I work at a high school where the majority of the students are from inner-city Milwaukee. They are confronted almost daily with some form of dysfunction, depravity, or violence. One day, some of my students challenged me as to why they should put a lot of effort into their studies when, from their perspective, the outlook for their futures looked bleak. I reminded them that God doesn’t want them to live in poverty or hopelessness.
If a Black man cannot stand on his own two feet, let him fall
ANALYSIS/OPINION: Today the concepts of equity and justice are far less egalitarian than they sound. Rather, those terms are used as a weapon by those who want to force others to accept societal changes which neither benefit nor advance the causes of the people they purport to champion. The latest pernicious example comes from an organization calling itself Dallas Justice Now.
Shannon Whitworth: Evers' school choice veto shows he doesn't care about education
Shannon Whitworth: Evers' school choice veto shows he doesn't care about education Kids in Racine hold signs up at a passing city bus at a Rally For Choice in January. DIANA PANUNCIAL By Shannon Whitworth | guest column School Choice advocates across the nation were given a gem of an opportunity this past year to prove the value of their programs when teachers unions refused to return teachers to classrooms when it was demonstrably safe to do so.
Banning Critical Race Theory Is A Good Step, But Not Far Enough
Unfortunately, those who are trying to fight critical race theory and keep it out of our schools have missed the boat: It’s already here. Critical race theory claims that America is “systemically racist,” and the only solution is discrimination against “whites” in order to make up for past racism against “people of color” — what is often called racial “equity.” It puts power in claiming oppression and has millions climbing over each other to assert the ultimate victimhood status.
Joe Biden's COVID debt relief for farms doesn't apply to white farmers. That's wrong.
Our government this year took another step toward creating division in our country under the guise of trying to solve it. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), more commonly referred to as the COVID-19 relief bill, plans to forgive loans from the government that were made to “” farmers as one of its many provisions. This may initially sound like disadvantage caused by the pandemic. “Socially disadvantaged,” however, is based solely and explicitly on race.
Joe Biden's COVID debt relief for farms doesn't apply to white farmers. That's wrong.
Our government this year took another step toward creating division in our country under the guise of trying to solve it. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), more commonly referred to as the COVID-19 relief bill, plans to forgive loans from the government that were made to “” farmers as one of its many provisions. This may initially sound like disadvantage caused by the pandemic. “Socially disadvantaged,” however, is based solely and explicitly on race.
Joe Biden's COVID debt relief for farms doesn't apply to white farmers. That's wrong.
Our government this year took another step toward creating division in our country under the guise of trying to solve it. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), more commonly referred to as the COVID-19 relief bill, plans to forgive loans from the government that were made to “” farmers as one of its many provisions. This may initially sound like disadvantage caused by the pandemic. “Socially disadvantaged,” however, is based solely and explicitly on race.
Joe Biden's COVID debt relief for farms doesn't apply to white farmers. That's wrong.
Our government this year took another step toward creating division in our country under the guise of trying to solve it. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), more commonly referred to as the COVID-19 relief bill, plans to forgive loans from the government that were made to “” farmers as one of its many provisions. This may initially sound like disadvantage caused by the pandemic. “Socially disadvantaged,” however, is based solely and explicitly on race.
How Biden's education pick could advance school choice
© Provided by Washington Examiner Miguel Cardona’s confirmation this month as President Biden’s secretary of education has left the nation’s school choice advocates wary but hopeful. Certainly, they appreciate the fact that Biden decided against elevating a number of teachers union executives to the position.
How Biden's education pick could advance school choice
Miguel Cardona’s confirmation this month as President Biden’s secretary of education has left the nation’s school choice advocates wary but hopeful. Certainly, they appreciate the fact that Biden decided against elevating a number of teachers union executives to the position.
Op Ed: MPS Should Offer In-Person Classes
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee School classroom. (Pixabay License). It is becoming increasingly difficult to accept the narrative that the main priority of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is to educate children.
Op Ed: School Choice Important to Black Families
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee School classroom. Image by Wokandapix on Pixabay School choice is the vehicle which will drive our nation’s poorest and most violent neighborhoods into peace and prosperity, which is why we celebrate this week as National School Choice Week.
What School Choice Advocates Want Wis. Governor to See
COMMENTARY Tony Evers, the new governor in Wisconsin, has made no secret of his hostility to school choice. When Wisconsin expanded the private voucher program statewide in 2012, he called it “morally wrong.” And during the 2018 campaign he said he’d like to phase out the Milwaukee voucher program, the oldest such program in the country that serves 28,000 students. The new tone from Madison gives school choice advocates some cause for concern.
Op Ed: Low-Income Minorities Need Financial Literacy
My daily commute takes me all over Milwaukee. In the less-than-wealthy areas of the city, I invariably pass payday and title loan stores, and I wince when I see customers coming and going. These stores are so endemic in impoverished parts of town that they have come to symbolize the very nature of what it means to be poor. It’s a Faustian bargain with a devil that some don’t even realize exists.
Breaking the cycle of poverty and violence
As we watch another summer of black Americans killing one another in our cities amid calls for more useless gun laws and peace summits, I'm left to ponder whether there's anything clearheaded people can do from a public policy standpoint to stem the tide of poverty and violence. In Milwaukee, there had been 89 homicides as of Friday; the same as the city's total for all of 2014.
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