Simpson Street Free Press

From humble roots in 1992 as a literacy program based in a challenged, south Madison neighborhood, Simpson Street Free Press (SSFP) has carefully honed its craft. SSFP fields an interlocking menu of youth programs designed to foster literacy, spark achievement, and support the school day. SSFP responds to disparities and achievement gaps with proven academic learning models designed for out-of-school time. SSFP uses research-backed methods that demonstrate clear and sustained results.

Simpson Street Free Press (SSFP) students, elementary through high school, publish newspapers. They develop content for various platforms. SSFP students write and read extensively. They receive individualized language arts instruction through an intricate writing-for-publication process. Students conduct research in authentic 21st century newsrooms. They study core subject areas: science, history, geography, and the arts. They write across the curriculum. Lesson plans emphasize close reading, practical skill building, and project-based learning. Students acquire transferable academic strategies and encounter predictable connections to the school day. SSFP students learn the basics: hard work, curiosity, academic confidence, and core subject curriculum. The publications they produce are well known and popular, inspiring young readers throughout Wisconsin. Students are promoted through the newsroom ranks. Young people, many of color, take on leadership roles. SSFP also operates a network of youth book clubs and publishes two bilingual newspapers.