Media outlets in the Madison area and across Wisconsin have reported on the UW–Madison School of Education’s extension of its groundbreaking Teacher Pledge program through 2028-29.
This is the third extension of the program, which launched in the fall of 2020 and was originally scheduled to run for five years. This latest extension was made possible with $8 million in donor support.
Diana Hess, dean of the School of Education, told Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) that she is “thrilled” the program is being extended.
“The primary purpose of this program is to provide Wisconsin schools with excellent teachers,” Hess said.
Under the program, students receive the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs in exchange for pledging to teach in any public or private school in Wisconsin for at least four years — or three years in high-need subject areas or school districts.
Maddy Rauls, a fourth grade teacher at Arboretum Elementary School in Waunakee who graduated from UW–Madison in the spring of 2021, said in the WPR story that signing the pledge was a “no brainer.”
“Even now as a new teacher, having less loans to pay off has been huge. I can focus more on my teaching. That’s not as much of a stress on me as I think it could have been,” Rauls said.
Following is a list of the media outlets that have reported on the extension of the Teacher Pledge program:
- Wisconsin Public Radio: UW–Madison scholarship program for education students extended
- Capital Times: UW extends free teaching degrees for grads who stay in state
- Wisconsin State Journal: UW–Madison extends financial support for education students who stay in Wisconsin to teach
- WORT 89.9 FM: Addressing Wisconsin’s Teacher Shortage
Read more about the extension of the Teacher Pledge program, here.