The Wisconsin State Journal recently spotlighted a new collaboration between the UW–Madison School of Education and three Wisconsin school districts — Madison, Lake Mills, and Middleton-Cross Plains — which aims to transform their current employees into future school leaders.
Through the District Leadership Preparation Pipeline (DLPP) program, a group of Wisconsin educators will start a 14-month program this summer to earn their master’s degree from UW–Madison for no cost. When they complete the program, they will commit to working in their home school districts as a principal or assistant principal for at least two years.
Supported by funding from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) Fast Forward Industry Sectors Worker Training grant program, the initiative leverages the School of Education’s highly regarded principal preparation curriculum.
“We’re very concerned about the shortage of people who are credentialed to be building leaders and principals,” Diana Hess, the former dean of the School of Education, tells the Wisconsin State Journal.
“We know principals are one of the biggest reasons why a school is successful,” says Jen Schoepke, director of special projects for the Madison Metropolitan School District and with the Teacher Education Center at UW–Madison, who is helping coordinate the DLPP program.
To learn more about DLPP, check out the full Wisconsin State Journal story and this School of Education news article.