Katherine Kokal
Education ReporterKatherine joined WUWM in 2025 as an education reporter covering both K-12 schools and higher education.
A native of Waukesha, Katherine grew up camping around Wisconsin in the summers and cross-country skiing and sledding in the winters. She attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism and interned for Lake Effect in 2017.
Katherine covered local government, transportation and environmental issues at The Island Packet newspaper in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina before moving to South Florida to cover education for The Palm Beach Post. She is the recipient of the 2023 Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting from the Florida Press Club for her investigation into data privacy for student athletes required to submit medical information to the state in order to play high school sports.
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Heavy Metal Summer Experience camp in Wisconsin helps introduce high school students to the skilled trades through projects and weeklong camps at local metal shops. -
Lincoln Avenue Elementary School was total loss after a fire in Milwaukee in June 2026. The school didn't have sprinkler systems. Is that normal? -
Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez and Audrey Nowakowski explore... -
How are AI tools impacting education in Milwaukee? Views from one science teacher creating a podcast using his notes and a music professor who assigned an AI essay. -
Will Wisconsin schools have too many staff as student enrollment goes down? Latest report on overstaffing in schools from Wisconsin Policy Forum. -
Wisconsin's teacher apprentice program can help with shortages. But reporting from Wisconsin Watch's Miranda Dunlap finds the program is stalling out. -
Milwaukee has the largest Black-white achievement gap in the country. A listener asked: is there a political will to fix it? -
A survey of low-cost childcare provider Head Start shows that families are keeping their children home as ICE enforcement ramps up. Kids who come to childcare are acting out and showing signs of stress. -
UW-Milwaukee pauses plan to merge student centers until 2027. What does this mean for DEI and student support at UWM? -
Milwaukee Public Schools leaders voted this week on a 2026 budget that includes cutting assistant principal positions and adding teachers.
