WAUWATOSA, Wis. — Kids Win Wisconsin, founded by Brittany Kinser, is a nonpartisan organization committed to ending Wisconsin’s reading crisis and building a future where 95% of Wisconsin’s children read proficiently, today announced the release of its 2026 Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Side-by-Side and the launch of its Walk & Talk interview series to help Wisconsin voters make informed decisions about education ahead of the election.

“One of our goals is to help Wisconsin families become informed education voters,” said Brittany Kinser, Founder and CEO of Kids Win Wisconsin. “According to the Nation’s Report Card, only one in three Wisconsin fourth graders is reading proficiently, and many voters are unaware of that reality. Education should be at the center of every election because our kids’ futures depend on it. Voters deserve to hear directly from every candidate about how they will improve reading outcomes for Wisconsin children.”

With only 31% of Wisconsin fourth-grade students reading proficiently on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), improving literacy is one of Wisconsin’s most urgent challenges. The 2026 Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Side-by-Side allows voters to compare each candidate’s responses to the same education questions, while the Walk & Talk interview series gives voters the opportunity to hear participating candidates discuss their vision for improving student reading outcomes.

To ensure a fair and consistent process, every gubernatorial candidate received:

  • The same invitation.
  • The same two-question education questionnaire.
  • The same opportunity to participate in a recorded Walk & Talk interview.