Outlook not set in stone for Wisconsin school of education enrollment

Arthur Thomas:

For all the changes implemented in 2011, one thing hurt enrollment at schools of education more than others, said John Gaffney, recruitment and retention coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's School of Education.

"The message of teachers being the problem hurt us the most," Gaffney said.

The Act 10 legislation affected teachers' pocketbooks - with union bargaining largely eliminated, higher deductions for benefits were imposed - and the political firestorm that resulted put teachers at the center of attention.

Maggie Beeber, undergraduate advising coordinator at the UW-Stevens Point education school, recounted a story where she was meeting with incoming freshmen. She asked the students if anyone had tried to discourage them from becoming teachers. Nearly every hand went up. Then she asked if more than five people had discouraged them. Most of the hands stayed up.

"It's easy to follow the public discourse about teaching right now and conclude that everything is doomed," said Desiree Pointer Mace, associate dean for graduate education at Alverno College.

• When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?
• Many notes and links on Julie Underwood.
• The oft-criticized WKCE will soon be replaced by Wisconsin's Common Core implementation.
• NCTQ Sues UW Ed Schools over Access to Course Syllabi.
• An Email to Madison Superintendent Dan Nerad on Math Teacher Hiring Criteria

Posted by Jim Zellmer at September 5, 2012 1:36 AM
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