Both CNN and Madison’s Channel 3000/News 3 have highlighted the UW–Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program in recent reports drawing attention to a growing shortage of teachers both in Wisconsin and nationally.
The Teacher Pledge, part of the School of Education’s Impact 2030 initiative, provides financial support — including up to in-state tuition, fees, and testing certification costs — for students enrolled in one of the School’s teacher education programs. In return, after graduating the students “pledge” to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin.
The Teacher Pledge program is supported entirely via donor funds to our School of Education.
The CNN report draws attention to a growing shortage of teachers in the U.S., as many veteran teachers are retiring and fewer college graduates enter the field. The report points to shrinking enrollment in teacher preparation programs nationwide, but highlights UW–Madison among institutions working to draw in more students by providing financial support so that students can graduate debt-free.
In a follow up to the CNN report, Madison’s Channel 3000/News 3 sheds more light on the Teacher Pledge program in a segment headlined, “Call for Action: UW–Madison offers loan forgiveness for teaching students.”
Channel 3000/News 3 interviewed Michigan native Camryn Booms, a graduate student in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, who came to Wisconsin to pursue her master’s degree in education. Booms said the Teacher Pledge was key to her decision to enroll at UW–Madison.
“It’s just that extra help that really made the difference for me, and I know (for) a lot of my classmates,” she said.
UW–Madison’s Kimber Wilkerson, a professor of special education and the faculty director of the Teacher Education Center, explained in the segment that the Teacher Pledge program works to solve two problems at once. First, it helps more students pay for school by providing money up front and keeping the application process simple.
“Because it’s relatively small compared to a federal loan forgiveness program we can be more nimble,” said Wilkerson, “so we can make corrections if we see something that is a sticking point.”
In addition, the requirement that Teacher Pledge students teach in Wisconsin helps local schools experiencing persistent staff shortages. “We are kind of thrilled that (it) means those teachers are also saying up front that they’re planning to teach in the state of Wisconsin,” said Wilkerson.
The segment noted that two years after the Teacher Pledge program launched, UW–Madison’s teacher education programs are growing, and 80 percent of master’s students have signed on to teach in Wisconsin.
For Booms, the Pledge has helped her feel a sense of commitment to her new home in Wisconsin. “From my hometown, to my undergraduate institution’s town, to here in Madison, I’ve always felt a sense of needing to do something and give back,” she said. “I go home now, and I miss Madison even more.”
Booms is currently at Savanna Oaks Middle School in Fitchburg, where she is student teaching eighth grade science.
View the full report from Channel 3000/News 3 via the organization’s YouTube channel.