School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1 • W i n t e r 2009
index
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
2
2
3
3
4
5
5
6
6
7
7
8
Director’s Message
Response to Intervention
New bachelor programs approved
Leaping through Literacy
Mr. Rogers “comes” to Menomonie
Wisconsin teacher awards
David Hay: Prepared for leadership
Summer camp for adults
Inspiration, innovation, and invention
Jax Teaching Excellence Award
New Faculty and Staff
Robert A. Sedlak Spirit of Community Award
Notable Notes
School of Education
Programs
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
Art Education
Career, Technical Education and Training
Early Childhood Education
Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Marketing and Business Education
Science Education
Science and Technology Education
Special Education
Technology Education
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
M.S. Career and Technical Education
M.S. Education (online and on campus)
M.S. Industrial/Technology Education
M.S. Guidance and Counseling
M.S. School Psychology
Ed.S. Career and Technical Education
Ed.S. School Psychology
TEACHING MINORS
Coaching
Economics
Health and Fitness
History
Mathematics
Speech Communication
SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS
Adaptive Education
Career and Technical Education Coordinator
Early Childhood through Middle Childhood, PK-6
Early Childhood Special Education
Reading Teacher
Traffic Safety
Technology Coordinator
Graduate Certificate in e-learning and Online
Teaching
ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FOR EDUCATORS
Editorial Staff
Mary Hopkins-Best
Hannah Flom
Director’s Message
E
ffective fall 2008, the School of Education joined with
the Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute and the
departments of food and nutrition; human development
and family studies; physical education; psychology; and
rehabilitation and counseling to form the College of
Education, Health and Human Sciences. While there is
always a certain amount of trepidation that accompanies
change, a great deal of positive energy has been generated
by the realignment, and the faculty is excited about the
collaborative opportunities inherent in our discipline array.
Many disciplines with a strong relationship to
professional education programs are now housed together
in the new college. Examples of related disciplines include,
but are not limited to, early childhood education and
human development family studies; family and consumer
sciences with food and nutrition; special education and
vocational rehabilitation; and the school counseling, school
psychology, mental health counseling, marriage and family
Mary Hopkins-Best
counseling, and psychology programs.
With the advent of the new college, more opportunities will exist for curriculum, programs and
professional development to be interdisciplinary.
On a more personal note, I was honored to be offered and have accepted the appointment of
dean of the new college beginning Jan. 1. I am also pleased to announce that Jacalyn Weissenburger
will assume the position of director of the School of Education. She has served as coordinating
chair of the School of Education, as program director of the M.S. and Ed.S. degree programs in
school psychology and has been very involved in the preparation for our Department of Public
Instruction and the NCATE accreditation review to take place in fall of 2009.
Mission and Vision
The mission of the School of Education is: “The School of Education (SOE) faculty and staff will engage in exemplary teaching, research, and service to ensure that graduates of the School become successful professional educators.”
The vision of the School of Education is: “The School of Education (SOE) faculty and staff have the vision of preparing teachers and other professional educators who are reflective practitioners and engage in evidence-based practice.”
SOE Goals
1. Foster the development of education professionals who engage in reflective practice.
2. Provide program curricula that reflect diversity, research, theory and best practice.
3. Align program outcomes with state and national education standards.
4. Recruit, support and retain a diverse faculty, staff and student body.
5. Advance educational scholarship and research at the university, local, state, national and
international levels.
6. Collaborate with PK-12 schools, universities, technical colleges, educational agencies,
professional associations, and communities to improve teaching and learning.
7. Engage in leadership and service to the university, local, state, national and international
professional organizations.
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
Response to Intervention – a new approach
J
ackie Weissenburger, associate professor in
school psychology, strives for continuous
improvement. She actively seeks out new
learning experiences, reads and researches
in the field of teaching strategies, takes her
student evaluations seriously and revises her
instructional strategies as needed.
Considering this, it isn’t surprising that
she has been an innovator in implementing
Response to Intervention — RTI — in regional
preK-12th grade schools. RTI is the practice of
testing a student’s skill in an academic area, then
comparing the score to a standard and in case
of a discrepancy, taking action to improve the
skill before learning delays become intractable.
Weissenburger’s previous research in learning
and curriculum-based measurement also
influenced her interest with RTI.
The RTI model typically has three tiers. In
tier one all students are screened in the core
subjects of math and reading. This universal
screening consists of quick academic tests to
assess the students’ skill level, not their IQ, and
is given in the fall, winter and spring terms.
After each screening, the progress of students
who score in the lowest percentile is graphed
using curriculum-based measurements for an
additional five to eight weeks. If the students
are able to get back on track during that time
period, they return to the general education
classroom.
Students who do not get back on track
move to tier two and receive more intensive
instruction — not special education classes.
In small groups of two to five, students are
tutored for eight to 20 weeks in reading, math
or writing. To determine whether the small
group instruction is effective for these students,
curriculum-based measures are used to monitor
their progress on a weekly basis.
Students who still do not respond well to the
more intensive interventions and are not able
to successfully return to the general education
classroom progress to tier three, where they
receive individualized programming and weekly
progress monitoring. At this point, a specific
disability may be identified through further
assessments resulting in an individualized
education plan and special education services.
RTI’s goals are also threefold, Weissenburger
explains. The first is identification. It is crucial
that students who appear to be at risk are
identified early in order to intervene before
their defecits become severe. Research
demonstrates a 90-95 percent success rate if
intervention occurs before a
child reaches third grade as
opposed to a 25 percent success
rate if intervention occurs after
age nine. The aim is to identify
the student before failing occurs.
The second goal is to
determine the effectiveness
of the instructional strategies
in order for teachers to make
modifications if needed. The
third goal is to identify students
tests to school-age children and comparing
the scores to academic achievement. As of
Dec. 2005, the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act was reauthorized
to permit states to discontinue use of the IQachievement discrepancy in favor of the RTI
model. Weissenburger is currently researching
and training local preschool through high
school teachers and administrators who are
adopting the RTI model.
Funds allocated through the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Improvement Act,
can be allocated for professional development,
“The aim is to identify
the student before
failing occurs.”
with learning disabilities — those who prove
unresponsive to validated, standardized forms
of instruction and who require individualized
services.
RTI strategies are designed to provide highquality instruction and intervention matched to
student need, to monitor progress frequently
in order to adjust instruction or goals and
to apply child-response data to important
educational decisions. The model differs from
the previous technique of administering IQ
universal screening procedures, scientifically
based prevention and intervention efforts, and
monitoring procedures.
To Weissenburger RTI means good news for
educators and students. In her zeal to be the
best teacher she can be, she desires students at
all levels to get what they need when they need
it.
New bachelor programs approved
Mary Hopkins-Best, director, Sylvia Tiala, undergraduate program
director in technology education, and Kevin O. Mason, science
education program director, are passing out cigars. Two new B.S. degree
programs have been born to the School of Education.
In December, the Board of Regents unanimously approved a Bachelor
of Science degree in science education and a Bachelor of Science degree
in technology and science education. The new majors meet the growing need for teachers in the areas
of science and technology, as well as engineering and mathematics.
According to the state Department of Public Instruction there is a critical
shortage of teachers in general science and technology education.
“These two new majors fit perfectly with UW-Stout’s mission and its
designation as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University,” said Provost Julie
Furst-Bowe. Hopkins-Best added, “The new programs are career focused,
blend theory with practice and meet the needs of our educational
partners.” She pointed out that graduates with multiple certifications
are more marketable and better able to meet flexible staffing needs of
small districts with limited resources. The new programs capture well
the interdisciplinary nature of the science, technology, engineering and
math disciplines.
Graduates of the science education program will have two
certifications from the following areas: broadfield science, biology,
chemistry and physics, while graduates of the technology and science
education program will have two certifications: one in technology
education and one in a science. The projected total enrollment in the science education program
after five years is 26 students; the projected total enrollment in the
technology and science education program after five years is 45 students.
• P a ge 2 •
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
Undergraduates present Leaping through Literacy
F
argo was not too “far to go” for four future
educators and their puppet friends — green
speckled frogs, cranes, snakes and butterflies.
Christina Smith, Cadi O’Connell, Jamie
Ausman and Annika Gangeness, undergraduate
students majoring in early childhood education,
presented at the annual conference of the
North Dakota Association for the Education of
Young Children held in Fargo Sept. 26 and 27.
This conference is for individuals committed
to young children and to high-quality early
childhood education.
“I felt like I had been accepted into
the community of education.”
The students brought their puppets and
other handmade teaching tools — charts, books,
literacy center games and environmental print
activities — to present “Leaping through Literacy.”
Their presentation focused on developmentally
appropriate practices for teaching early literacy
skills, including assessment and evaluation.
The presentation was an outgrowth of the
Leaping through Literacy partnership program
between Northwoods Elementary School in
Eau Claire, Wis., and students enrolled in the
Language Arts and Emergent Reading I: BirthKindergarten course taught by Jill Klefstad,
assistant professor in early childhood education.
One requirement of the course is for students to
tutor kindergarteners in literacy skills.
Jamie Ausman, Cadi O’Connell, Christina Smith, Annika Gangeness
The conference presentation boosted the
students’ self-confidence. Gangeness said, “As
the audience looked up at us, I realized we
were the young students from UW-Stout and
were respected for our ideas, thoughts and
enthusiasm.” She also stated how proud she felt
to represent Stout and future early childhood
education teachers. “I like to show the educators
out there now, that we are capable and ready to
teach the future,” she said.
For O’Connell it was also a coming-of-age
experience, “Presenting at the North Dakota
Early Childhood Conference, I felt like I
had been accepted into the community of
education,” she said.
By sharing their knowledge on literacy
with a group of educators, the four benefited
personally. “It was very rewarding to be able to
use my knowledge … to explain all the different
literacy skills children can obtain from just one
simple tool,” Smith said. Ausman concurred,
“My colleagues and I experienced something
that we had never experienced before. We put
on a presentation for colleagues and gave them
ideas to use in their classroom.”
The travelers agree that despite the long
drive, “Leaping through Literacy” was a hopping
success.
Mr. Rogers “comes” to Menomonie
The School of Education sponsored the presentation “Won’t You Be My
Neighbor: What We Can Continue to Learn from Fred Rogers” held in
October at Menomonie’s Mabel Tainter Theatre. Students in the Stout
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences rolled up their sleeves and
went to work cooking and decorating cookies and cupcakes for the event.
Graduate students in the School Counseling Organization participated in
a sweater drive, in honor of Fred Rogers and his famous sweaters.
Stout Association of Family and Consumer Sciences’
students Ashley Hall, Britnee Anderson, Kristin Thum, Kelly Dufner
School Counseling Organization students
Kelli Larson, Brianne Mehlos, Rachel Dorshorst,
Becca Christiansen, Holly Hazen and Alyssa Leonard
• P a ge 3 •
• P a ge 3 •
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
Wisconsin teacher awards
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
Teacher of the Year — Susan Turgeson
“Sometime people see family and consumer food processing, storage, product development
science as fluff or extra, where in fact it is really and distribution.
Turgeson was a nontraditional student
the backbone of society.” — Susan Turgeson
Susan Turgeson, a Stout graduate with a B.S. at Stout, attending college 10 years after
in family and consumer sciences education and graduating from high school. “A little voice in
an M.S. in home economics is the
“Choosing UW-Stout set me on a path for excellence that
2008 Wisconsin Association of Family
has led the way to professional growth and satisfaction.”
and Consumer Sciences Teacher of
the Year.
Turgeson teaches food and nutrition and my head reminded me that in high school I
food science courses at Menomonie High wanted to teach. But to teach you need a degree
School where her students learn more than just — so I went to UW-Stout in the early childhood
cooking. “A cooking lesson is so much more program,” she said. After being introduced to
than the product we prepare,” she said. “I tell family and consumer sciences education by
my students that ‘I don’t expect you to make Karen Zimmerman, she changed majors and
a soufflé at home — you may never make one never looked back.
Stout was a great fit for Turgeson as an
again.’” In addition to cooking, her students
learn how to follow directions, to work safely undergraduate and graduate student. Her
with tools and to use math skills for cost analysis classes were small, and she received personal
attention from her professors which made a
of recipes.
In the food science course, which has significant impact on her education. She also
been approved by the Board of Education as a discovered that Stout’s hands-on, practical
required science credit, students learn scientific approach to learning made it easy to go to
principles such as how ingredients react to heat, class. “Observations and working in classrooms
moisture, agitation and to other ingredients. right from the beginning of the program
They also analyze scientific and technical helped to ease the transition into the role of
advances in nutrient content, availability and instructor and also helped me to network with
safety of foods and how these advances impact professionals in my field,” she said. WAFCS president, Donna Dinco and Turgeson
Her professors were also supportive and
encouraging. “They were creative, positive,
progressive individuals and tremendous role
models,” Turgeson said. “Choosing UW-Stout
set me on a path for excellence that has led the
way to professional growth and satisfaction.”
Turgeson’s mission is to teach the importance
of nutrition and food preparation. She explains,
“Simple cooking is a fundamental skill that
people should master and, in earlier years, that
was taught in the home. Basic needs, such as
good food, a quality diet and nutrition must be
met before you can move on to anything else
in life.”
High School Teacher of the Year — Lucas Siebert
Lucas Siebert and Elizabeth Burmaster
“Teaching what I already know gets old; it’s what
I don’t know that excites me,” said Lucas Seibert,
technology education teacher at Oostburg
High School.
In a surprise ceremony held at the school
in September, State Superintendent Elizabeth
Burmaster announced that Siebert had been
named the Wisconsin High School Teacher of
the Year.
Seibert was recognized for introducing his
students to real-world challenges in engineering
and design, drawing on partnerships with
business and community leaders and honing
problem-solving and creative abilities in his
students.
The Herb Kohl Educational Foundation will
award $3,000 to Siebert. According to Senator
Kohl, “I know that the future of this state and
nation rests in the hands of our students. I
support our Teacher of the Year awards because
they recognize the work of outstanding
educators and help ensure that strong, capable,
caring teachers are educating tomorrow’s
leaders.”
Not surprisingly Siebert can look to his
alma mater — Stout, where he got a B.S. in
technology education — for his knowledge,
teaching inspiration and style. He recalls taking
a class with Alan Block who had the habit of
randomly calling on students. Siebert had to be
prepared, engaged and able to think on his feet.
Now, he expects the same from his students.
In a practicum with Jim Hubbard, Siebert
learned the nuts and bolts of technology and
engineering education. “It was a job in which I
was able to exercise problem-solving techniques
• P a ge 4 •
daily,” he said. “Much of my curriculum is based
on problem solving. It was a great hands-on
practicum that I continue to draw on till this day.” As proof of this hands-on tradition, his
students enter statewide competitions such as
Extreme Redesign, Electrathon and Sustainable
Residential Design where they are involved with
research, problem solving, collaboration and
creativity. Also, through his interest in green
engineering, Seibert encourages implementing
sustainability principles in students’ work.
Seibert’s enthusiasm and passion for
discovery fuel his classes. As a teacher, he
has the opportunity to learn and pursue his
interests in order to keep his students on the
cutting edge of industry advances. He doesn’t
consider himself an expert in his field. “In fact,
it’s what I don’t know that keeps me interested,”
he said. “My students and I learn together.” By
asking a problem and solving it as a class, his
students catch his zeal for discovery and follow suit.
As long as there are problems to solve and
knowledge to gain, Seibert and his students will
be happy and busy.
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
David Hay:
Prepared for leadership
“The experiences I had at Stout
prepared me for challenges I never
thought I would face. I didn’t intend to
become a teacher - but I was asked to, and as
I found out, I was prepared well for the job. I
didn’t intend to become a principal either - I was
asked to, and again I found I was well prepared
for this new and challenging role as well.” —
David Hay, principal, Kettle Moraine High
School
Ten years ago David Hay graduated from
high school. In 2004, he graduated from
Stout with a B.S. degree in marketing business
education. Today, he is principal of Kettle
Moraine High School in Wales, Wis. How
David Hay, second from left, working with students
did such a young man attain the challenging
position of high school principal and what Urs Haltinner, Debbie Stanislawski, and Carol save ammunition for another day,” he said.
Regarding leadership, Hay believes
Mooney prepared him for future challenges,
prepared him for that role?
At Stout, Hay was active in the Stout Student by cheering him on, not letting him give up everyone has the potential to become a leader.
Association and the campus governance process. in difficult times and by believing that he was “So when I say we are all leaders, I mean we are
all responsible to improve ourselves, to become
He served as a senator, financial affairs director, more capable than he thought possible.
Others at Stout were instrumental in the best person we can possibly be. If we can
and student body president — roles in which
do that effectively, it will have
he experienced leadership at a new level. He pushing him to take
“We are all responsible to
a tremendous impact on all
was responsible for balancing a multi-million on challenges outside
improve ourselves, to become the those around us. That’s where
dollar budget as the finance director and was a of the classroom —
Pinckney Hall, the
member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council.
best person we can possibly be.” true leadership comes from ...
self improvement,” he said.
He also was involved in the UW System retired dean of students,
As principal, Hay works
statewide as one of four student representatives Bill Siedlecki, the retired
who conducted a statewide study in 2003 on student center director, and Mary McManus, with 1,500 students and a staff of more than
“Charting a New Course.” In 2004, Hay was the the director of the Involvement and Leadership 100. Like any leader, he faces daily challenges.
sole student on the committee that hired UW Center. McManus taught him to be an involved But challenges aren’t all bad. “The best part is
contributor not a wall flower. From Hall and seeing people try things they have never tried
System President Kevin Reilly.
Thus was part of the background of the Siedlecki, he received coaching on his presence, before, taking risks and finding new ways to
man who was “asked to” become a principal. poise and persistence. They helped him decide define success,” he said.
Hay also cites support from instructors at Stout; “which battle was worth fighting, and when to
Summer camp
for adults
Chippewa Valley Technical College pharmacy
technician instructor Jody Myhre-Oechsle
S
ummer camp isn’t just for kids. This summer
the School of Education held its first annual
Career, Technical Education and Training
Immersion Camp on campus. The students were
instructors at technical colleges needing to
complete the seven certification courses to be
licensed to teach. The immersion program was
designed to offer the required courses in a sixweek period. Stout instructors with expertise in
the content areas taught the courses.
But it wasn’t all work and no play. The
participants engaged in team-building
activities, which according to instructor
Howard Lee helped them bond as a group.
“The participants felt this was one of the more
important aspects of the immersion experience.
They will remain friends and depend on and
help each other throughout their career in the
Wisconsin technical college system,” Lee said.
Paul Short, a participant, found the camp
• P a ge 5 •
• P a ge 5 •
to be more than useful. “It was an incredible
experience that I found to be extremely fitting
to my current teaching,” he said. The classes
were informative, he was able to network with
other instructors and he has applied some
of what he learned including rewriting his
exams. School in the summer wasn’t even so
bad. “Taking the summer immersion program
may seem like a huge time commitment but
considering the average employee does not get
summers off I considered this just another part
of becoming a good teacher,” Short said. He
also looks at teaching differently. “I find myself
reflecting on better ways to instruct and keep in
perspective the idea of what it means to be the
student.” Who would have thought that going to
school during summer vacation would be so
much fun? For more information, contact
Outreach Services at 715-232-2693.
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
The I’s have it — inspiration, innovation, and invention
S
teve Meyer, a Stout graduate and technology and engineering teacher
at Brillion High School in Brillion, Wis., succeeded at motivating his
students to be inspired, innovative and inventive while competing in
the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Program. The program — funded by the
Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. — is
designed to enable and inspire young people in pursuing creative lives
and careers through invention.
Brillion High, where Meyer coached a team of students to turn
an idea into an invention, was one of 16 schools in the country to be
selected for the program largely due to Meyer. The student team also
was one of four national teams selected to present their invention on
stage at EurekaFest held in June in Cambridge.
“This was a great opportunity for the students and a perfect blend
of how education and industry can partner to enhance the learning
experience for young people,” said Meyer. His team of eight — six
males and two females — developed the EZ-Lift, a self-propelled,
material-handling system allowing the operator to lift, transport
and place a basket full of metal parts weighing up to 300 pounds.
As part of the program, students met with product development
leaders to learn industry’s ideation process and how to hold a 3P
event — preparation, process and production.
Meyer’s involvement with this program isn’t too surprising
since he graduated from Stout in 2003 with a master’s degree in
industrial and technology education.
Meyer attributes his experience at Stout in developing his
skills, teaching philosophy and knowledge to facilitate such
a large scale project. At
“Stout is doing it right.” Stout, he was bathed in an
innovative atmosphere and
one where students attain a wide range of knowledge and skills.
This atmosphere was evident in classes such as research and
development and prototyping. “Stout is doing it right,” Meyer said.
Teaching technology and engineering is not only his job, but
also his passion. “I cannot believe I get to hang out with 16-yearold kids every day, learn about technology and engineering, and
they pay me to do it,” he said. He loves to see his students get
excited about education and choose to work overtime designing
and inventing products. His fascination with the internal
machinations of a product as well as with inventing, designing,
and fabricating a product is contagious and well, inspiring.
Steve Meyer at contest
Jax Teaching Excellence Award
J
ackie Weissenburger, associate professor in school psychology was awarded the Jax Teaching
Excellence Award at the School of Education’s Spring Celebrations Banquet in May.
When asked, Weissenburger defined an effective teacher — an individual who is well-grounded
in content knowledge and demonstrates technical expertise in conveying that knowledge to diverse
audiences; is strong, able to motivate through encouragement and is respectful of students. An
effective teacher also actively encourages student interactions and is available for consultation. “In
my quest to be an excellent teacher, I have actively sought out new learning experiences, made
myself available to students, read extensively and researched effective teaching strategies,” she said.
Weissenburger’s students have nothing but good to report. Lindsay Fjelland said, “I consider
Jackie my mentor and I feel blessed and fortunate to have crossed paths with someone who has
taught me so much about not only school psychology, but about myself.”
Scott Ford, a Stout alumnus, continues to think of her as a guiding mental presence and often
jokes with his wife saying, “I should wear one of those WWJD wristbands as a reminder of ‘What
would Jackie do?’” He remembers her in class as having a joking and serious side, never failing to
emphasize the importance of the school counseling profession as it related to the mental health and
welfare of children.
Weissenburger is a member of the National Association of School Psychologists, the American
School Counseling Association, Wisconsin Association of School Psychologists, Wisconsin School
Counseling Association and Council for Exceptional Children.
• P a ge 6 •
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
New faculty and staff
Dang Yang
The School of Education has a
new multicultural recruitment and
retention coordinator — Dang Yang.
In this capacity, Yang works directly
with
prospective
multicultural
students and their parents. He visits
middle and high schools to share the
good news of choosing teaching as a
profession. He also is a guide, adviser
and mentor to current multicultural
students majoring in education.
Yang comes to Stout with a B.S.
degree in public communication from
UW-Eau Claire. During his student
years, he was president of the Asian Student Organization of UWMarathon County and of the Hmong Student Organization at UWEC.
He was one of two students to serve on UW-Eau Claire’s Chancellor’s
Diversity Advisory Committee and in 2007 was program coordinator of
the Mentoring Program through the Department of Public Instruction of
Eau Claire. This program paired multicultural high school students with
college students to encourage pursuing higher education.
In his current position, this well-qualified young man will coordinate
Teacher Education Day and other events to bring prospective students to
campus, develop a speaker series for multicultural educators and a faculty
and student mentoring program. He will spearhead the development of
needs-based and academic-achievement-based scholarships and will
collaborate with Multicultural Student Services and the Admissions Office.
Yang believes a diverse multicultural student body contributes to all
students. “Having students of different backgrounds interact together
provides a greater potential to spark real dialogue and interaction
that will lead to really understanding not only our differences, but our
similarities.” he said.
Robert A. Sedlak Spirit
of Community Award
B
arbara Flom, associate professor in the M.S.
school counseling program, was awarded
the Robert A. Sedlak Spirit of Community Award
at the School of Education Spring Celebrations
Banquet held in May. Flom made the following
comments upon being granted this award.
“Bob was very interested in civic engagement
and service to the community. I was honored
and humbled — shocked, actually— by
receiving the award.
“Connecting to the community has been a
theme in my classes — in each, students have
participated in an experiential community
project of some sort during the semester. I
will be using the award to support these class
connections to our area—this semester, for
example, the award will help support a family
night at River Heights Elementary.”
When he isn’t in his office or on the road recruiting, Yang might be
playing guitar in the rock band “Losing Salt,” reading or participating in
an autocross event.
Yang can be contacted at yangd@uwstout.edu, or at 715-232-4047.
He welcomes hearing from individuals interested in multicultural
recruitment and retention.
Renee Chandler
Renee Chandler, assistant professor
of special education, started her
career as a general education teacher
for fifth and sixth grade students in
a high-poverty rural school district
in Wisconsin. In order to facilitate
successful inclusion of students with
disabilities in her general education
classroom, she chose to get a master’s
degree in special education from UWEau Claire.
Before coming to Stout, Chandler
also taught special education classes for
middle school students with emotional
and behavioral disabilities for four years. In addition, Chandler taught
in the special education department at UW-Eau Claire for eight years.
While teaching at Stout, she is pursuing a doctoral degree in the
area of Educational Leadership at the University of St. Thomas in
Minneapolis. When she isn’t teaching, she is busy working on her
dissertation “Learning Disabilities in a Poor, Rural School District:
Student-Centered or System Motivated.”
Chandler enjoys spending time with her husband and five-year-old
daughter hiking through the woods and observing wildlife.
Flom’s involvement with her community
is extensive. She is a mental health services
volunteer with the Chippewa Valley Chapter of
the Red Cross, with the Wisconsin Department
of Health and Family Services Emergency
Assistance Volunteer Registry and is a Pro
Bono counselor with Licensed Professional
Counseling Services. She also gives of her
time as a consultant and angler education lead
instructor with the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, as a volunteer and substitute
leader with the River Heights Elementary AfterSchool Clubs and as a server for the Thursday’s
Table Community Meal Program.
Flom is a member of the American and
Wisconsin School Counselors Associations,
the American and Wisconsin Counseling
Associations, the National Education Association,
the Wisconsin Education Association Council
and Phi Delta Kappa.
• P a ge 7 •
• P a ge 7 •
School
of
E d u c a t i o n • V o l u m e 4, I ss u e 1
Notable Notes
FACULTY:
Tracey DeRusha, coordinator of clinical placement,
Jill Klefstad, assistant professor, early childhood
education, and Kimberly Martinez, assistant
professor, education foundations, received the
Faculty Research Initiative Grant to study the use
of high-quality multicultural children’s literature
in the early childhood classroom and its effect on
increasing students’ awareness and appreciation of
other cultures.
Jill Klefstad, assistant professor, early childhood
education, and Kimberly Martinez, assistant
professor, education foundations, presented “Poem,
poem, do not go away, come again another day:
How to address the five essential elements of
reading instruction through poems, rhymes and
chants” at the 2008 National Association for the
Education of Young Children conference held Nov.
6, in Dallas. They also presented “Using poems,
chants and rhymes to build fluency with children in
early childhood” at the Early Childhood Education
Conference held April 25-26 at Stout.
Kimberly Martinez, assistant professor, education
foundations, published the article “Don’t put that
poem away, use it again another day” in the journal
“Highreach Learning.”
Becky Mather, online instructor, presented the
Research Committee Issues brief “Professional
development for virtual schooling and online
learning” at the Virtual School Symposium held in
Phoenix, Ariz., in October. She also assisted writing
the brief.
Debbie Stanislawski, assistant professor, marketing
and business education, has been appointed the
North Central Business Education Association
Representative for Wisconsin for the next three
years. This position represents Wisconsin at the
North Central level. Stanislawski will attend the
Wisconsin NCBEA meetings and NBEA conference.
At this time WBEA provides a stipend of $600 each
for the NCBEA and NBEA conference to support
travel. Juli Taylor, assessment coordinator and Lesley
Voigt, ePortfolio coordinator, presented “UW-Stout
School of Education Unit Assessment System where we’ve been and where we’re headed!” at the
Wisconsin Institutions of Higher Education Quality
Matters Conference held in Wisconsin Dells Nov. 7.
Alumnus:
Sharon Abel, M.S.’98 in career, technical education
and training, instructor at Lakeshore Technical
College, Sheboygan, Wis., was selected as the
American Jail Association’s Civilian Employee of
the Year and as one of the American Correctional
Association’s Best in the Business 2008.
Arlene Welcher, B.S. ‘03 in family and consumer
sciences education, was nominated and awarded the
national New Achiever Award in 2008. In June she
traveled to Milwaukee to receive her award from
the American Association of Family and Consumer
Sciences. Welcher teaches Family and Consumer
Education at McFarland High School. She will
graduate with a Master of Science degree in family
studies and human development in December.
Jennie Paulson, B.S. ‘03 in family and consumer
sciences education, received the 2008 Wisconsin
New Achiever Award. She has published research
in the AAFCS Journal, served as vice president of
the pre-professional graduate student section and
as WAFCS president. She has been teaching in the
Westby Area School District since 2005.
M.S. program revised
A revised master’s degree program
in industrial technology education
is in the works. The M.S. program
will be renamed technology
education and will be available
solely as an online degree program
beginning in the summer of 2009.
The graduate program is designed
to prepare technology teachers to
apply and reflect upon evidencebased practices to enhance student
learning. The framework of the
M.S.T.E. program is based on the
National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards; teachers can
apply the work accomplished in
many of the courses for National
Board Certification. Lastly, the online availability
of the program enables working
technology education teachers to
complete this degree.
For more information, contact
David Stricker, program director,
at 715-232-2757 or by e-mail at
strickerd@uwstout.edu.
We welcome your inquiries and comments
For more information contact:
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
267 Home Economics Building
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
Phone: 715/232-1088
Fax: 715/232-1244
www.uwstout.edu/soe
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 3
MENOMONIE, WI 54751
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
267 Home Economics Building
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
• P a ge 8 •
• P a ge 8 •