UW-Whitewater a state force in teacher education

November 20, 2008

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater continues to be a force in teacher education, turning out the most teachers in the University of Wisconsin System, according to the latest Teacher Supply and Demand Analysis Report.

The Department of Public Instruction study ranks UW-Whitewater No. 1 in the state among the 13 public universities, with 479 teacher education graduates in 2006-2007.  Of those 479 graduates, 402 were new teachers, also the most in the UW System.

“Our teacher preparation program has the reputation of being outstanding,” College of Education Dean Jeffrey Barnett said. “That is a credit to the breadth of our program and the large number of faculty who specialize in many areas.”

Barnett added that the broad array of majors and minors available to students, the relatively small class sizes and an advising system that provides individualized attention continue to make UW-Whitewater’s College of Education the top choice for future teachers.

The 2007 Teacher Supply and Demand study also ranks UW-Whitewater No. 1 in elementary education graduates with 171, compared to UW-Milwaukee’s 156 graduates and UW-Madison’s 139.  Among all teachers (new and those with multiple licensures), UW-Whitewater ranks second in the number of special education graduates with 98, compared to UW-Eau Claire’s 106 graduates.

“The reality of today’s classrooms is that teachers need to be prepared to work with a diverse student body,” Barnett said. “Our early childhood education dual licensure in regular and special education, the only program of its kind in the UW System, has made our teacher preparation program especially attractive to future educators.”

Increased travel study programs, including future student teaching opportunities in Ecuador and Ghana, and an expansion of the bilingual/bicultural/English as a second language program are a few of the ways the College of Education plans to maintain its elite status among its sister institutions.  “We must continue to be responsive to changes in the school environment and always be ready to better prepare our future teachers,” Barnett said.  “I think we’re already well on our way to doing that.”