Wisconsin missed out on the second round of competition for the federal "Race to the Top" education funding. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia were named finalists today for the chance to win a share of the $3 billion dollars. The money is being dispersed to states that have put in place or will implement reforms to improve low performing schools and close achievement gaps. Wisconsin had hoped to receive up to $250 million over four years. In response, Governor Jim Doyle called the decision disappointing, saying he believed Wisconsin's application was strong. He said Milwaukee Public Schools will be given $43 million in Recovery Act funding that is separate from the "Race to the Top" monies. "Here and Now" has an invitation out to Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers, to discuss this setback.

Can you read this right now? If so, you're connected. You may not have high-speed internet, but such broadband service could be coming to a school or library near you. Governor Jim Doyle this week asked the legislature's budget committee to approve nearly $23 million in federal stimulus funding for fiber optic connections in 70 schools and libraries in 380 communities. The governor says the coverage will also help businesses and law enforcement in the areas where the broadband is installed. The coverage extends out in a three mile radius from the connection point – so people in that range can benefit from the service. The joint finance committee is expected to consider the funding next week.

Reports today show Wisconsin was not, in fact, very competitive when it came to the "Race to the Top," application for federal education reform dollars. Here's what the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports today:

"Wisconsin's application for a share of $4.35 billion in federal education grants scored in the bottom half of 41 applicants, earning the equivalent of a C-minus grade by government reviewers.

The state's score sheet and the accompanying reviewer comments were released Monday after U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan revealed that Tennessee and Delaware won funding from the first phase of the Race to the Top competition, qualifying them for $500 million and $100 million, respectively, over the next four years.

All of the reviewers noted that few local teachers union leaders in Wisconsin had supported the state's application, and one noted that the statewide teachers union's support seemed "tepid." That was far short of expectations for competitive applications." --JSOnline

Here's what Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers, and Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell, said about the "Race to the Top," application on Here and Now in January.

I had the opportunity this week to attend an orientation to Dane County's Youth Apprenticeship program. High school students in the program are given the chance to work in a field of their interest--for pay--and take specialized classes, often at a tech school.

The program will be featured in a television show called "Blueprint" that Wisconsin Public Television is producing with our partner, the Educational Communications Board (ECB). It will feature the ways that science, technology, engineering and math, collectively called STEM, are being taught in new, applied methods throughout the state.

In the youth apprentice program, high school students can work in health care, automotive tech, information technology and biotechnology, among several other fields. It's an opportunity to make real world use of their education while developing new skills and good work habits.

The television program, planned for broadcast in the fall, will be the third in a series of "Blueprint" specials. You can watch the previous two by clicking on these links: Blueprint: Designing Wisconsin's Future and Blueprint for Tomorrow's Education (produced by Milwaukee Public Television and ECB).

New academic standards could be on the way for 48 states including Wisconsin. A group of educators working for the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers today released proposed common academic standards. The standards detail what American public school students should learn in math and English from kindergarten through high school. The Obama administration endorses the standards.

They can be seen on the Common Core State Standards Initiative site.

Alaska and Texas are the only states not taking part in the standards re-write effort.

This week I am knee-deep in editing. The story is about a program sponsored by the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee.

This environmental education center has a full calendar of many interesting activities and projects.

Our story focuses on a UEC program to train "citizen scientists". The UEC requires that "citizen scientists" are used for all their research projects. These volunteers spend massive hours in training to become skilled at the research tasks of each project. In return, they are very, very invested in these research projects. This story will air in the coming weeks on In Wisconsin. Hope you get a chance to check it out.

I'm setting out today to videotape with Bao Thao-Vang, a Hmong woman who works in the Fox Valley. She's a nutrition educator for UW-Extension. She reaches out with healthy eating advice to both young and old in this large Hmong community. Her task is to help alleviate some serious problems in this population--diabetes and high blood pressure.

Today she's teaching in a high school so it's bound to be a challenge . . . for Bao and for the camera crew. Wish us luck.

Today I'm interviewing Geoffrey Canada, the founder of Harlem Children's Zone, which is an area in New York's Harlem, encompassing about 10,000 children who are part of an educational experiment that aims to help poor children succeed in school and in life. The zone includes not just a charter school called the "Promise Academy," but free social, medical and educational services.

"If your child comes to this school, we will guarantee that we will get your child into college," Canada says.

Wisconsin has applied for federal funding to include a Milwaukee Children's Zone in our state's "Race to the Top," application.

Find out more this week on "Here and Now" airing Friday night at 7:30pm on Wisconsin Public Television.

Last summer I had an opportunity to get to know a great high school teacher. His name is Matt Berg. He teaches biology at Grantsburg Senior High School. But he doesn't confine his teaching to the classroom. Every summer he takes students who are interested into the field to conduct primary research. And their research counts. Working on grants from agencies including the National Park Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources they've conducted a range of studies. We caught up with Matt and his students last summer hip deep in the Saint Croix River surveying the mussel population. The students created a web site about their research.

In Wisconsin will broadcast their story after the holidays.