Special Field Experience Programs

International Student Teaching Program
Internships
Professional Development Schools (PDS) Programs
Student Teaching in Milwaukee Public Schools

University of Wisconsin System Institute for Urban Education
Special Placements

International Student Teaching Program

An international student teaching experience may be available for students seeking opportunities to enrich their preparation for teaching. Student teachers have been placed in sites in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Namibia. Placement availability may differ from year to year. International student teaching must be an option in the student's certification area and must be approved by the program coordinator in his/her subject area.

Students considering an international student teaching assignment should see the EAS International Student Teaching Program advisor, Valli Warren, vdwarren@education.wisc.edu, 262-3773. An application is required; the application deadline is usually in February of the year prior to student teaching.

For student teachers participating in the 2010 International Student Teaching Program, the International Student Teaching Handbook is also available.

Internships

The internship is a licensed, full-semester assignment that replaces the student teaching experience. Interns are under contract with a school district. The teacher intern is paid a salary based on a partial teaching assignment up to 50%. Internships are flexible, permitting maximum opportunity for teaching, observing, planning, and evaluating. The intern assignment includes orientation conferences and inservice opportunities. The intern follows the local school district calendar, does not carry on-campus course work, and enrolls for 12 credits of student teaching, usually in the major subject area. The teacher internship program is administered by staff of the Wisconsin Improvement Program (WIP) at the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction.

Availability of intern positions depends on the number of requests received from school districts within the state. Internships may be extremely limited in some subjects and typically located in schools some distance from Madison, requiring the intern to relocate.

Some but not all program areas recognize the internship as a viable option to the regular student teaching experience. Students are placed in internships based on their academic record, faculty approval, and interviews with school administrators. For further information, consult Valli Warren, Field Experience Coordinator, at Education Academic Services, B117 Education Building, vdwarren@education.wisc.edu, 262-3773. Find more general information on the internship program at this Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsis/tel/wip03.html.

Professional Development Schools (PDS) Program

The Madison Professional Development School Partnership is a formal relationship between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District. They have joined together to establish teacher preparation and professional development programs that better utilize the strengths and resources of both institutions. In Madison, the PDS partnership involves four public schools--Midvale, Lincoln, and Thoreau Elementary Schools and Cherokee Middle School--and the School of Education Elementary Education program.

One major purpose of the program is to prepare teachers who can be successful in culturally diverse urban schools. Teacher education students in PDS schools complete all their practica and student teaching experiences in one of the two pairs of Professional Development schools.

Any student in the Elementary Education program may apply to the Madison PDS partnership;.however, there are a limited number of places available in any PDS and the number accepted varies to maintain a balance between practicum and student teachers and schools. Students may work in the Lincoln-Midvale or Thoreau-Cherokee pairing, depending on their certification level. These paired placement schools allow the students to gain first-hand experience in classrooms at the different levels of their certification and allow the students to stay with the same school pair for two or three semesters.

A secondary-level PDS partnership currently exists with Memorial High School and Jefferson Middle School as well as with West High School and Wright Middle School.

For more information on the PDS program, check http://labweb.education.wisc.edu/pds/.

Student Teaching in Milwaukee Public Schools

Students in the Elementary Education program may choose to student teach in Milwaukee Public Schools. Each year a small group of students is permitted to student teach in select schools and classrooms in the district. Contact Professor Carl Grant at the Elementary Education program for more information.

University of Wisconsin System Institute for Urban Education

The University of Wisconsin System Institute for Urban Education offers student teachers the opportunity to student teach in the Milwaukee Public School system as well as gain valuable insight into the urban community. As an Institute student, preservice teachers will be placed in a Milwaukee Public School with a highly qualified and knowledgeable Milwaukee public school teacher and attend a weekly seminar. This seminar will focus on the development of a culturally responsive, culturally relevant practice and will also be a place where students can feel supported in their student teaching experience. Moreover, the seminar will be visited by many local community members ranging from politicians to parents, to school administrators and business owners. Additionally, the students will participate in a community involvement project to help them further their knowledge of and experience with urban community members and urban culture.

Special Placements

Most student teaching placements are made within a 50-mile radius of Madison. Occasionally, students with extenuating circumstances are allowed special placements beyond this limit. Some programs may permit special placements due to relocation of a spouse/partner or an emergency family care situation. Students may also request a unique school setting. However, each special placement must be reviewed and approved by the student's program coordinator.

Because of the importance of the student teaching experience and the need for students to work with UW-Madison supervisors, qualified cooperating teachers, and familiar school sites, special placements will not be routinely permitted. Requests for special placements based on financial or employment considerations will be routinely denied. Students are not permitted to student teach in their home town.

Students permitted special placements are usually liable for the cost of supervision (approximately $450 plus mileage). All special placements must be approved by the student's program coordinator and the EAS field experience director. Students seeking a special placement may contact Associate Dean Jeffrey Hamm, Education Academic Services, 608-265-2745, hamm@education.wisc.edu.

Comments or Problems: easinfo@education.wisc.edu.
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