Corri Hess

As the nation’s eyes turn to Minneapolis, they’re also turning to Minnesota Public Radio Long one of the strongest public media outlets in the country, MPR has reached new traffic highs amid the ICE raids and protests there. Here’s our regular ranking of the top 25 public radio websites i...

As the nation’s eyes turn to Minneapolis, they’re also turning to Minnesota Public Radio
(see list, public media is strong! - WPR is #9!!)
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/as-t...

How a rural Wisconsin school district closed learning gaps for low-income students For the last eight years, Sevastopol has worked on changing its culture. They’ve done everything from providing all students with free meals to putting staff through an intensive poverty simulation so...

How a rural Wisconsin school district closed learning gaps for low-income students
www.wpr.org/news/sevasto...

UW-Madison Chancellor says her role prepared her for Columbia University job Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said her experience leading UW-Madison during a "complex time," which included encampments, DEI and federal funding cuts, prepared her to head the Ivy League university.

UW-Madison Chancellor says her role prepared her for Columbia University job
www.wpr.org/news/uw-madi...

Education has seen unprecedented changes in Trump’s second term From the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education to withholding billions of federal dollars, K-12 and post-secondary education saw unprecedented changes during the first year of Trump’s second...

Education has seen unprecedented changes in Trump’s second term
www.wpr.org/news/educati...

The numbers that defined the Trump administration’s attacks against the press in 2025 - Poynter Nine hours into his term, Trump took his first action against the media. The attacks only escalated from there.

The numbers that defined the Trump administration’s attacks against the press in 2025

www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...

More than 130K Wisconsin borrowers in SAVE student loan program will need a new plan The Biden-era student loan repayment plan was the most flexible and generous income-driven repayment plan available.  On Dec. 9, the U.S. Department of Education announced the SAVE plan is ending.

More than 130K Wisconsin borrowers in SAVE student loan program will need a new plan

www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

In Wisconsin, health care costs are overwhelming teacher salaries A new analysis of teacher pay and benefits by WEA Trust suggests the majority of teachers are one health care crisis away from financial ruin.

In Wisconsin, health care costs are overwhelming teacher salaries

www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

Marinette Marine lays off almost 100 workers a week after the Navy canceled ship orders Fincantieri Marinette Marine laid off nearly 100 workers on Wednesday, about a week after the U.S. Navy announced it was canceling much of a multi-billion dollar order for ships that would have been b...

Marinette Marine lays off almost 100 workers a week after the Navy canceled ship orders:

Corinne Hess Archives

Congratulations to @corrihess.bsky.social for being featured in the White House Recommended Reading List. She was honored for her reporting on nursing no longer being considered a professional degree.

Thanks to Trump for elevating this important story.

www.whitehouse.gov/media-bias-r...

Educators worry excessive screen time is causing speech delays in early childhood “When I look into a baby's eyes and ‘goo go ga ga,’ and the baby makes those sounds back, that child is learning how to make that hard G sound with me,” Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jef...

Educators worry that excessive screen time is causing speech delays children
"Parental tech use has been likened to secondhand smoke in that it might endanger children’s health and development in ways we don’t even fully understand yet."

Here's my latest feature for WPR:
www.wpr.org/news/schools...

Wisconsin teacher turnover rates are improving since pandemic, but remain high A new Wisconsin Policy Forum report released Friday found turnover rates for teachers dropped to 14 percent in 2024 and are at 12.9 percent this year.

You guys are great! Thank you to everyone who responded!

Wisconsin teacher turnover rates are improving since pandemic, but they remain high
www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

Excited to be part of the Meet the Media event next week hosted by PRSA with my colleagues where we can chat about the evolving world of our industry 👀. Hope you can join us!

Are you a Wisconsin educator who has left the profession in the last five years? Would you be willing to talk to me about the reasons why? If so, shoot me a message at corri.hess@wpr.org

Thanks! Corri

Federal grant that funded Wisconsin foreign language for more than 60 years cut The federal grant program that has helped fund foreign language education and programming at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and across the country for more than 60 years has been canceled by the ...

The federal grant program that has helped fund foreign language education and programming at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and across the country for more than 60 years has been canceled by the Trump administration.

www.wpr.org/news/federal...

Federal funding cut for Wisconsin program for kids with hearing and vision loss The U.S. Department of Education has cut another nearly $11 million in grants to Wisconsin, this time to some of the state’s most vulnerable children.

Federal funding cut for Wisconsin program serving children with hearing and vision loss
www.wpr.org/news/federal...

Milwaukee County wants WIAA to address hate speech in high school sports A Milwaukee County Board committee is urging the organization in charge of high school sports in Wisconsin to address hate speech and harassment that happens during games.

Milwaukee County asking WIAA to address hate speech/harassment in high school sports.
"Our kids are actually making positive choices. And what do they get? Racism and no school official backing them up.”
www.wpr.org/news/milwauk...

Head of Milwaukee Public Schools wants grade reconfiguration Over the next year, Milwaukee Public Schools will decide how to manage its 149 school buildings — that includes possible grade reconfiguration.

Head of Milwaukee Public Schools wants grade reconfiguration

www.wpr.org/news/milwauk...

UW-Madison announces budget cuts up to 7 percent for all departments Facing funding cuts from the Trump administration and uncertainty from the Wisconsin Legislature, the leader of the state’s flagship university directed all departments Monday to cut their budgets bet...

UW-Madison announces budget cuts up to 7 percent for all departments

www.wpr.org/news/uw-madi...

Can virtual reality solve Wisconsin’s school math problems? A Republican-sponsored bill would require the state Department of Public Instruction to pilot a virtual reality technology program to teach math.

Can virtual reality solve Wisconsin’s school math problems?

www.wpr.org/news/virtual...

Milwaukee Reading Coalition would use state funds to train teachers in early literacy The coalition needs bipartisan support, which activist Howard Fuller and Mayor Cavalier Johnson hope can be allocated in the next state budget.

There are 31,000 kids in K-3 attending private or public school in Milwaukee — but only about 3,000 of them are meeting targets in reading.
A new Milwaukee Reading Coalition wants to use state funds to train teachers in early literacy.
www.wpr.org/news/milwauk...

Wisconsin Road Trip Get in, let’s go! WPR reporters are making pit stops across the state to showcase some of the people, places and things that make Wisconsin summers special. If you’re looking […]

WPR reporters are making pit stops across the state to showcase some of the people, places and things that make Wisconsin summers special.
If you’re looking for your next adventure, we’ve got something for everyone. Check it out!
wpr.org/roadtrip

Wisconsin Public Radio has launched a new daily newsletter!
Here’s what you can expect: The day’s top stories, must-listen audio pieces, feature photos and behind-the-scenes conversations with reporters and producers.
www.wpr.org/contact-us/n...

Reading Corps brings high-impact tutoring to schools across Wisconsin Reading Corps is a nationwide AmeriCorps program that's in about 60 Wisconsin school districts across the state, including in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Dane, Brown, La Crosse, Sauk, Marinette, Eau C...

Reading Corps brings high-impact tutoring to schools across Wisconsin

www.wpr.org/news/reading...

This Wisconsin school excels at teaching math. Can its approach work statewide? An elementary school in Grant County has changed its approach to teaching math — and it has paid off. Now, nearly 80 percent of the students at Winskill Elementary School are at grade level. That's do...

This Wisconsin school excels at teaching math. Can its approach work statewide?
www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

Republican plan to overhaul the federal student loan system will affect more than half of Wisconsin students Republican proposals to overhaul how families pay for college could affect nearly half of the students attending the Universities of Wisconsin and about 40 percent of students at the state’s private s...

Republican plan to overhaul the federal student loan system will affect more than half of Wisconsin students
www.wpr.org/news/republi...

Wisconsin schools losing $8M in federal mental health grants after Trump administration decision Wisconsin will lose $8 million in federal grants that school districts have been using to hire mental health professionals, including school counselors and social workers.

Wisconsin schools losing $8M in federal mental health grants after Trump administration cancels funding over DEI
www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

As Wisconsin teachers grapple with artificial intelligence, Trump order calls for AI to be taught in schools Since AI emerged, teachers have struggled with how to approach the technology. Should they ban it? Should they incorporate it into their lessons? Now the Trump administration is trying to make the dec...

always a pleasure to talk to @corrihess.bsky.social about teaching- www.wpr.org/news/wiscons...

NIH guts its first and largest study centered on women The Women’s Health Initiative has produced numerous influential findings

NIH guts its first and largest study centered on women | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Visa termination update as of 4-14:
UW-Madison: 27 including 15 current students and 12 recent alumni working on campus
Universities of Wisconsin System: 16 including 13 at UWM
MATC: 1 reported so far; nearly 150 students are attending MATC on an F-1 visa.

Wisconsin Supreme Court finds brothers who stole from school district were wrongly fired The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled in favor of two brothers who say they were wrongfully terminated after stealing scrap metal from the Oconomowoc Area School District.

Justice Protasiewicz wrote that, in following the law, the justices arrived at a “strange result.”

“As a result of today’s decision, the [Oconomowoc Area School] District may not fire employees who it suspects stole from the District."

www.wpr.org/news/wiscons... via @corrihess.bsky.social