On the Road

On January 8, State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster welcomed members of the Professional Standards Council for Teachers to a meeting in Madison. Burmaster framed the issues including increased participation of under-represented educator populations in Wisconsin schools; teaching and learning about multicultural issues; revision of professional development plan training; and support for school districts by institutions of higher learning.

Burmaster welcomed about 1,500 educators to the 2007 New Wisconsin Promise Conference in Madison on January 9 (see separate story in this issue). “In our larger society, only when we insist on a community agenda, where we invest more in the growing numbers of our children of poverty, reaching across the racial divide and building a system based on lifting up all the children of this generation — not dividing them against each other — will we truly realize the potential of a public education system that can preserve our American democracy and ensure justice and compassion in civic life,” Burmaster told the group.

On January 11 in Madison, Burmaster welcomed representatives of public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs) to a joint meeting with DPI staff to discuss DPI program approval procedures. The state superintendent opened the meeting by welcoming the members of the work group and framing the issues to be addressed at the meeting. “Wisconsin has a long history of producing outstanding educators. Graduates from our institutions are sought out nationally,” said Burmaster. “We have worked hard to retain that reputation and indeed, 98.9 percent of our educators currently employed in our public schools teaching core academic subjects meet the requirements of the federal standards as highly qualified teachers. But because Wisconsin has achieved that high percentage, does not mean that we are satisfied. How we recruit, prepare, and support educators is what brings us to the table today. Accountability is the focal point, the basis for determining institutional effectiveness and public support.”

On January 12, Burmaster joined First Lady Jessica Doyle, Walker Middle School principal Hector Perez LaBoy, MPS Superintendent Bill Andrekopoulos, and Debbie Kramer, Senior Vice President of Assurant Health at a press conference to announce a Gubernatorial proclamation designating January as Mentoring Month in Wisconsin. The event, held at Walker International Middle School, an MPS Charter school in Milwaukee, focused on the benefits of mentoring, citing Assurant Health as an example of a healthy school-business partnership that benefits students. Assurant has provided mentoring in the Milwaukee area for 18 years, and with Walker International Middle School for three years. “All over Wisconsin there are children and youth who have benefited from mentors who provide them with that special relationship and extra support which help them experience increased success and sustained positive development,” Burmaster told the group. “Without the support of a caring mentor, some of our students may struggle to fully develop their skills and knowledge, shape their own destiny, and become important contributors to our state and its future. Mentoring relationships empower both young people, and the adults working with them, to be more active in their community — creating possibilities for everyone involved.”

Last updated on 1/16/2007