Wisconsin: Teaching in Education in Wisconsin

Educational Management

By giving everyone a voice in school operations, the principal of Menominee Indian Middle School in Neopit, Wisconsin facilitated the school's transition from being a school in need of improvement to a Wisconsin School of Excellence. The middle school is in the poorest county in the state and the ninth poorest county in the country. The National Association of Secondary School Principals recognized the school's achievement by naming it a 2010 Breakthrough School, an honor that carries a $5,000 grant.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the mean annual wage for preschool and childcare administrators in Wisconsin was $48,090 in May 2008, higher than the nationwide mean of $46,370. For elementary and secondary administrators the Wisconsin mean was $84,340, lower than the nationwide mean of $86,060.

Curriculum and Instruction

The mean annual wage for the nearly 1,300 instructional coordinators in Wisconsin was $61,000 in May 2008, according to Bureau of Labor Standards estimates. This is slightly higher than the nationwide mean of $59,780.

Teacher's Aides

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not require a license for regular education classroom aides or paraprofessionals. However, special education program aides, who work with children with special needs, do need to be licensed. These paraprofessionals work under a licensed teacher who is responsible for working with parents to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each child. The aides work closely with parents and staff, help with classroom activities, work with small groups of children, maintain records, and provide guidance to children in the classroom.

Assistant teachers who work under the supervision of a childcare or Head Start teacher with a group of children must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent within six months of employment, and have completed one course in early childhood education. They do not need previous experience in childcare or education.

The estimated mean annual salary for teaching assistants in Wisconsin was $24,960 in May 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is higher than the nationwide mean of $23,560.

Technology Education

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is required to provide equal access to offer online courses to public and private educational entities in the state. Wisconsin Web Academy (WWA), the state-led supplemental online education program, provides those courses. Washington has 13 virtual charter schools.

Starting July 2010 all K-12 online teachers must have 30 hours of professional development to prepare them to teach online.

Wisconsin has created a number of publications on technology and instruction, including:

Information & Technology Literacy Standards: Wisconsin's Academic Standards for Literacy identifies and defines the knowledge and skills students need in order to use technology throughout their lives.

Information & Technology Literacy: A Collaborative Planning Guide for Library Media and Technology promotes an integrated and collaborative approach to technology literacy.

The Wisconsin Educational Information & Technology Plan PK-12 focuses on how to meet the needs of students in order to make then competent users of technology.