1. On the road

In early August, State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster was interviewed by WISC-TV (Channel 3), the CBS affiliate in Madison, for its program, Topnotch Teachers. Topics covered included reasons for the high achievement of Wisconsin students and what teachers and our educational system are doing to prepare students for the 21st century world. The program aired August 3.

On Tuesday, August 7, the State Superintendent attended the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting in Madison. Burmaster voted in opposition to the proposed UW System budget because it included a 5.5% tuition increase.

On Wednesday, August 8, Burmaster addressed the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers in Madison. Among those present at the event were 18 individuals receiving special training to help them become certified teachers of Mandarin Chinese, under a federal grant administered by the Department of Public Instruction.

On Thursday, August 9, the State Superintendent met with P-Dawg, a host on WKSH (1640 AM), Milwaukee's Radio Disney affiliate aimed at children and adolescents, for an interview about the SunWise program, which teaches children to protect themselves from the sun's ultraviolet rays. The interview aired on The Backyard Show.

Burmaster welcomed new administrators from four of Wisconsin's Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs) on Tuesday, August 14. Later that day, she convened a joint meeting of her Collaborative Council and the state-level American Diploma Project/Partnership for 21st Century Skills Leadership Team. The groups are working to ensure that Wisconsin's educational standards are sufficiently rigorous, as well as relevant to postsecondary and workforce expectations in the 21st century. ADP/P21 design teams in mathematics and English/language arts presented to the Leadership Team a summary of their work to date.

Burmaster participated in Creating Jobs/Creating Wealth, an event which celebrated the twentieth birthday of the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), at the Governor's Executive Residence on August 15. The WWBIC is an economic development corporation providing quality business and financial education, technical assistance, and access to capital for entrepreneurs. The State Superintendent spoke about the importance of financial literacy.

On Friday, August 17, the State Superintendent was in Florence, in Vilas County, for a meeting of her Advisory Council on Rural School, Libraries, and Communities (see article #4, this issue). That evening, she appeared on Here and Now on Wisconsin Public Television to discuss results of the ACT test.

On Sunday, August 19, Burmaster spoke at the ceremony dedicating new additions and improvements to schools in the Nekoosa district: Nekoosa High School, Alexander Middle School, Humke Elementary School, and the downtown storefront housing the alternative high school. The result of a $11,265,000 referendum passed in 2006, the improvements include new high school computer and science labs, a gymnasium, a community fitness center (which already serves 60-100 people a day), a distance learning center, asbestos removal, air conditioning of the middle school to enable summer instruction, smart board technology and a state-of-the-art library media center in the elementary school, new white boards, and a new parking lot.

Last updated on 8/20/2007