What is Project SWEETT?

Project SWEETT (Southeastern Wisconsin Excellence in Education through Teacher Training) is a federally funded grant that is sponsored by the Department of Education and the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs. The grant will continue until 2005, as long as funding is renewed each year. The aim of Project SWEETT is to address the poor performance of limited English proficient (LEP) children in target school districts in Southeastern Wisconsin by increasing the number of bilingual teachers trained in the best practices for working with LEP children. Project SWEETT will provide tuition scholarships to selected qualified applicants who are committed to completing the professional education program leading to licensure in Bilingual Education (BE) or teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Project SWEETT is a consortium of the following local educational agencies and institutions of higher education:

Local Educational Agencies

Delavan-Darien Schools
Janesville Public Schools
Madison Metropolitan School District
Waukesha Public Schools
Whitewater Unified

Institutions of Higher Education

Madison Area Technical College
University of Wisconsin - Rock County
University of Wisconsin - Waukesha
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Project SWEETT History

The state of Wisconsin, like most of the nation, is experiencing rapid demographic changes. The numbers of families for whom English is a second or additional language is growing. In the 1995 academic year, there were 15,798 limited English proficient (LEP) students in the state, with the number expected at greater than 25,000 for the 2000-2001 year. The increase is due primarily to population growth among Hmong and Latino/Mexican families. According to 1999 Wisconsin demographic data, these populations have been growing most significantly in Madison and points southeast. Project SWEETT was created to serve these areas by increasing the number of teachers certified in Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language.

What are the different Project SWEETT programs?

Project SWEETT supports students who are committed to becoming Bilingual Education or ESL teachers, but do not have an initial teaching license. Project SWEETT is geared toward college students, graduating high school seniors, or college graduates who are not certified to teach.

Project SWEETT II & Project SWEETT SOL II are TFAT (Training for All Teachers) grants, which support licensed teachers who are working toward adding an ESL or Bilingual Education license. The grants cover partial to full tuition based on enrollment. The difference between Project SWEETT II and Project SWEETT SOL II is the consortium districts that the grants are written to work with. Both grants serve a common purpose but in different areas of Southeastern Wisconsin.