Rachel Morello

With just a few weeks left in the summer, teachers are asking themselves what needs to be done to get ready for the upcoming school year.

And preparations are not just about classroom supplies, or lesson plans.

Many Milwaukee-based educators have spent the summer thinking about race and cultural differences. They say they want to break down barriers between their staff and students.

It’s no secret that Milwaukee, like many cities across the U.S., is facing a teacher shortage – due in part to massive retirements after Act 10.

Charter schools of all shapes and sizes populate a sizeable chunk of Milwaukee’s education scene.

But this year, only one new charter is joining the field: Pathways High School. Chartered by UW-Milwaukee, Pathways’ mission is to emphasize project-based learning during students’ teenage years.

But what's also unique about Pathways is the school's leaders.

As Wisconsin's legislature struggles to finish its biennial budget, the UW Board of Regents has already approved its financial blueprint for the upcoming year.

Most school-age kids have to compete to earn spots on athletic teams, and sometimes they're also pitted against one another in the classroom.

But experts disagree on whether competition is an asset or a roadblock to the learning process.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Gender might determine what images come to kids’ minds.

So many fields are dominated by one gender or another that Wisconsin has a name for this trend: “non-traditional occupations.” Those are fields that employ 25 percent or less of one gender. The state keeps track, and publishes a list every few years.

Leaders at schools like MATC say it’s their mission to shorten that list.

School is no longer in session – but families are encouraged to come to a special lesson in Milwaukee Monday night.

Leaders from the state Department of Public Instruction will be in town to talk about how they plan to implement a new federal education law.

Update: President Trump has signed an executive order designed to expand apprenticeship opportunities across the country. 

For kids, the school day has traditionally started with homeroom or morning announcements. But a few Milwaukee schools are trying something different: they call it “morning motivation.”

The goal at Stellar Collegiate, a brand-new charter school on the city’s south side, is to turn every student into a “morning person.”

Wisconsin high school students will soon say goodbye to their teenage stomping grounds, and head off to college, the workforce, the military – all with diplomas in tow.  

A group of graduates from the School District of Waukesha will also leave with another badge of honor: the Seal of Biliteracy.  

Wisconsin lawmakers are deciding whether to reward UW System schools based on how they perform. And experts say the idea has its share of pros and cons.

School finance can be a tangled web.

The combination of federal, state and local funding formulas that play into classroom budgets is enough to make one's head spin. Nonetheless, the budgeting process is an annual task for school districts.

Public and private schools may have to further compete against each other for students and families, if the Trump administration rolls out an anticipated new tax credit.

Spring has finally sprung around Milwaukee! And the warmer temperatures mean plenty of folks are looking for opportunities to get outside -- including teachers and students.

What's the best way to take your lessons outdoors?  That's something the folks in the Cedarburg and West Bend public school districts have been working on all year, with the help of a couple “Scientists in Residence.”

This week, schools in Milwaukee across the country are honoring their educators as part of Teacher Appreciation Week.