News: Education Policy

Two La Follette School alumni recently shared their expertise with public radio listeners. John Vander Meer (MPA ’06) discussed the difficulties facing skilled nursing facilities in Wisconsin, and Anne Chapman (MPA ’12) addressed education funding in the state.

On one of my first days in the program, a faculty member told our cohort, “If you’re interested in making money, you’re in the wrong program. We’re in the business of making the world a better place.” From that moment, I knew I made the right choice.

As a former high school teacher, La Follette School student Elizabeth Janeczko brings a unique perspective to her writing for Madison Commons, an online source for news and information about Madison’s neighborhoods. 

I want to be an advocate for my kids at the state and federal government level. I want to advocate for racial integration in public schools along with other much-needed, wide-spread educational policy change.

The La Follette School’s strong emphasis on development of analytical skills has made me a more intelligent consumer of information and increased my ability to use data to create evidence-based narratives framing public policy issues and solutions.

I definitely try to use my education and experiences to benefit those who don’t have the opportunity to attend college. I am a vessel of knowledge that can leave the campus and bring with me the ideas I have learned during my time on campus.

David Boardman (MPA ’16) has joined the University of Wisconsin System as a government relations specialist. Most recently, Boardman was a legislative aide for State Rep. Joan Ballweg.

Education Analytics, a Madison-based nonprofit organization led by La Follette School faculty member Rob Meyer, received a $7.8 million award from the U.S. Department of Education to expand the SPARK Early Literacy Program.

Rob Meyer’s commitment to improving K-12 students’ academic success spans three decades. As an educator and researcher, he has shared his passion with students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and school leaders across the country.

Jason Fletcher, a professor of public affairs and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received an H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.