Space Grant Consortium - University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

ead and very popular. Our student reporters produce thoughtful, well-researched articles on
topics ranging from the latest NASA missions to ancient civilizations; from plate tectonics and
climate change, to Wisconsin’s changing economy. This sort of coverage draws young readers
into academic subjects in new and interesting ways. With print circulation at 23,000 and the
addition of a new online version in 2009, the Simpson Street Free Press reaches thousands of
young people with powerful messages of academic achievement and healthy life choices. The
students of the Simpson Street Free Press are role models in the truest and most accurate
meaning of that oft-used term.
Our organization has two missions:
Mission #1: Provide a challenging academic experience for our teen writing staff.
Simpson Street Free Press students pursue their craft in a challenging and authentic newsroom
atmosphere. Intensive academic lesson plans are the backbone of all Simpson Street Free Press
programs. These lesson plans are developed and executed by an experienced, professional
teaching staff. We teach young writers to pull out main ideas, write good lead sentences, and
organize their writing effectively. Our core strategy is to teach across the curriculum. Students
learn science, geography, history, and current events while practicing the basics: writing,
reading, researching, critical thinking, and using computers. Simpson Street Free Press students
acquire practical academic skills, and quickly learn to apply these skills in the classroom. Our
writers are required to revise each article many times prior to publication. The assignments are
challenging and the work demanding, but the rewards are tangible and practical. Tomorrow’s
community leaders are training today at the Simpson Street Free Press.
Mission #2: Spread a positive message of youth achievement, academic success, and
community service throughout Madison and the surrounding area.
The student writers of the Simpson Street Free Press are well known and very influential among
their peers. They are role models in the truest sense of the term. There’s no achievement gap in
the Free Press newsroom and our students send that message, in very clear terms, to thousands
of local kids. Our reporters write clearly and poignantly about achievement and success. It is
symbolically important that this influential publication is written and produced in south Madison
– largely by south Madison kids. The messages of the Simpson Street Free Press are clear:
drugs, alcohol, and smoking are bad; core academics and community service are cool.
Achievement can be, and is, for all kids. These messages resonate with our young readers. Free
Press writers are effective role models because they are real and because they are local. They
seem “just like us” to kids who read the paper. In our southside newsroom, tomorrow’s
community leaders are spreading positive and timely messages today.
2) Program/project description
Simpson Street Free Press Program Description
Solid coverage of core academic subjects is the trademark of the Simpson Street Free Press. The
35-40 students who work at the Simpson Street Free Press receive a valuable academic
experience that is unduplicated anywhere. Subjects like science, history, and geography come to
life on the pages of our award-winning newspaper. Our programs are designed to complement
school curriculum and support student performance. Recent research provides evidence that
achievement gaps and writing proficiency are related. And writing has taken on new importance
since 2005 when a writing section was added to SAT college entrance tests. A 2007 report by
the National Center for Educational Statistics cites modest national gains in writing proficiency.
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