Seton Catholic Schools, a WCRIS partner, was featured in the Milwaukee Journal on Saturday. Read below about how they are changing what private education looks like in Wisconsin and how their model is gaining national attention. The article: In the not-too-distant past, teachers at St. Catherine Catholic School in Milwaukee ran their classrooms much as [...]
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Current Events
A library of WCRIS weekly E-letters that keeps you updated on issues of concern to private schools
The ESSA & Private Schools
December 08, 2016
Identify what you have. Use this school year to review your current Title I program: Determine which services are offered by your district/s. Which students are receiving those services? Are services being administered efficiently? Is the LEA following all provisions of the consultation process? Discuss any potential improvements among your school community and with the [...]
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New Overtime Rule On Hold
December 08, 2016
The Department of Labor’s new overtime rule that would have required paying non-teaching staff overtime unless they met annual salary limits has been put on hold by a federal judge. The rule sought to update the overtime regulation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and was a major initiative of the Obama Administration. The rule, [...]
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Creating a Professional Development Plan?
December 05, 2016 Sponsored Content
New educators and teachers licensed after 2004 must complete Professional Development Plans in order to obtain either their Wisconsin Initial Educators License or to renew their Professional Educators License. Currently, there are two online service providers of PDP software which include WECAN and QEI. However, as of June 2017, WECAN is discontinuing their online PDP [...]
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Equitable Busing Fight for WCRIS School Kids Goes Public
November 17, 2016
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a notice Wednesday with the Milwaukee Public School Board and its Superintendent on behalf of a WCRIS school seeking equitable transportation for its students. The WILL letter puts MPS on notice of St. Joan Antida High School’s claim for transportation on behalf of 70 of their [...]
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Wisconsin’s School Wars Don’t Work
November 01, 2016
Sharon Schmeling, WCRIS Executive Director, wrote an op-ed that was featured recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MJS), the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, the La Crosse Tribune and the Chippewa Herald. You can find the MJS article online here. Here’s the article: Is Wisconsin well-served by efforts to force children to attend schools that their parents [...]
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Save the Date — February 10, 2017
October 14, 2016
Keynote Speaker: Susan Patrick, Technology Expert Can Technology Save Private K-12 Schools? Susan Patrick’s vision for education is for all students to have access to a world-class education and robust opportunities to engage in powerful, personalized learning experiences to prepare them for future successes in college, careers and as global citizens. Susan Patrick is the [...]
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DPI Changing Rules to Expand Summer School
October 13, 2016
In response to demands for keeping students learning over the summer months, State Superintendent Tony Evers is proposing administrative rule changes that will make it easier for public districts to provide summer school programming. While the changes won’t affect a large number of private schools, it could affect Choice schools and how private schools cooperate [...]
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WCRIS Announces First-Ever Private School Teacher of the Year
September 22, 2016
Wisconsin’s first-ever Private School Teacher of the Year was announced in a surprise student assembly at Hales Corners Lutheran School yesterday, leaving veteran teacher Jana Horn nearly speechless with delight from the honor. In addition to being surprised by the presence of her husband and daughter, Jana was presented with a WCRIS plaque and an [...]
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Hitting the Teacher Shortage Head-On
September 07, 2016
As the new school year gets underway, many WCRIS schools have been left struggling to fill vacant teaching positions. Public and private schools report a shortage of teachers in specific “high-need” content areas, and a newer overall shortage of teachers in every discipline. Researchers predict the problem will worsen in the coming years. The looming shortage is so critical [...]
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