Resolution from the Committee on the
Transformation of the Education of Educators
PSF 39/02-03

The Transformation Committee requests that the University Committee consider the following recommendation and that it present this recommendation to the Faculty Senate for consideration and approval.

WHEREAS the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's mission directs that all programs at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside arise from the shared goals and aspirations of a campus-wide community of learners that is specifically committed to
• Reflecting and supporting the needs of our local, regional, and national communities
• Strengthening a multicultural emphasis
• Initiating and supporting interdisciplinary teaching and learning

WHEREAS The University of Wisconsin System is engaged in movement toward an approach to teacher preparation that integrates teacher preparation across the disciplines within the liberal arts and sciences by
• Advocating introduction of pedagogy into content areas
• Facilitating pedagogical input from content-based faculty
• Sharing responsibility for certification and field experiences of teacher candidates among Teacher Education faculty, content area faculty, and local school districts

WHEREAS the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has developed a new set of rules (PI34) with respect to teacher preparation and has, in particular, established
• A competency-based approach to teacher preparation featuring ten new content and professional standards of teacher competence
• A requirement that all students seeking teacher certification must pass a standardized content-area examination
• A requirement that new teachers must avail themselves of regular and ongoing professional development
• An expectation that content area faculty become more involved in clinical experiences and student teaching experiences

BE IT RESOLVED that faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside shall work toward establishing a seamless network of internal and external partnerships that effects full integration of teacher development across the College of Arts and Sciences, that this network forges vital links between content area faculty, teacher education faculty, and faculty and administrators in public schools and districts, and that these partnerships shall be embodied in a formal governing entity that incorporates the diverse perspectives of the content area faculty, teacher education faculty, and faculty and administrators from area K-12 districts and schools as we focus on the preparation of exemplary educators.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, to ensure the effectiveness of this partnership, this entity shall serve as the primary policy-making body for teacher preparation programs; as such, it shall oversee teacher preparation policies, procedures, program goals and standards; it shall be empowered to review, comment upon and render decisions on all aspects of teacher preparation having an impact on content-area programs, general education, and/or the professional sequence of studies.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a work group to be appointed by the University Committee be tasked with developing an appropriately detailed proposal for this governing entity, to be submitted to the Faculty Senate early in the Fall 2003 semester. This proposal would be developed within the context of effecting a campus-wide transformation of UW-Parkside which engages all faculty and students in the development of a network of programs focusing on excellence in teaching and learning.

Approved by the Faculty Senate on March 25, 2003