Priority Work Teams

Graduate Follow-up Study

Focus:  Creation of a UW system-wide survey of and comprehensive report on the status of our graduates/education program completers.

Rationale:  PI 34 requires each UW teacher education program to complete a follow up of their graduates/program completers. Currently, most campuses conduct a simple survey, which often yields little information useful for program reform. The resulting information is also limited in providing data useful for incorporation into a system report that might illustrate the impact of UW on meeting the educational needs of the state. This study is designed to create a single survey instrument and process of reporting from a UW System perspective.

Contact:

Mary Manke Associate Dean College of Education and      Professional Studies UW-River Falls mary.p.manke@uwrf.edu

Meeting:  On July 20, 2007, the initial work of this group was expanded upon. At this meeting, over 40 educators, representing Wisconsin’s public and private/independent, and alternative teacher preparation programs, were in attendance. The following documents were used and discussed at this meeting:

• Agenda
• Meeting notes
• Interim report from Working Group on Graduate Follow-up
• Final report from Working Group on Graduate Follow-up
• Survey for graduates
• Survey for employers
• Guiding principles
• Quality assurance position paper
• Accountability model

As this initiative advances, additional materials will be posted. For additional information, please contact:

Francine Tompkins, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin System Administration
Director, PK-16 Initiatives
ftompkins@uwsa.edu

Quality Assurance Study

Focus:  Review of literature/research models designed to initiate a conversation and stimulate pilot research throughout the UW System with a focus on examining the future of quality assurance in teacher preparation.

Rationale:  There is growing national support for teacher preparation programs to demonstrate that quality teaching, measured by K-12 student learning and/or other measures of student learning, is indeed the result of quality college-based teacher preparation. The National Council for Teaching and America's Future and the Carnegie Commission's Teachers for a New Era project are examples of prominent national organizations supporting this "exploration."

Contact:

John Mason Dean, College of Liberal Studies UW-La Crosse mason.john@uwlax.edu

Initial Educator Team Study

Focus:  Design of implementation models that support IHE representation on Initial Educator Teams.

Rationale:  As of August 2004, PI 34 requires that each initial educator (i.e., new teacher, administrator, and pupil services personnel) assemble an Initial Educator Team. Membership includes a teacher, administrator, and representative from higher education. Currently, IHE representatives have been meeting to discuss a variety of issues associated with this requirement. While there have been some advances made such as clarification of who can serve as an IHE rep and whose responsibility it is to select the representatives, there has been no coherent process for identifying potential models nor has there been a satisfactory resolution to critical issues like workload, compensation, and supply/demand. This project will identify the most salient issues and provide recommendations for their resolution.

Website:  Teacher Quality Initiative: IHE Representation on Initial Educator Teams

Contact:

Robert Hollon Professor, Curriculum and Instruction UW-Eau Claire hollonre@uwec.edu