New Partnership with Green Bay schools to foster teacher preparation and development

The UW-Green Bay Professional Program in Education and the Green Bay Area Public School  District (GBAPSD) are partnering in new ways to provide pathways for licensure for teachers on emergency licenses needing English as a Second Language (ESL) licensure and to provide education coursework necessary for licensure for other employees (e.g., paraprofessionals). Support for this project will come from the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program, a state funded grant program through the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The grant encourages school boards or other governing boards of schools to partner with post-secondary institutions or other entities to address area workforce demands. The $250,000 grant, primarily covering course tuition and books for participants, will run over a two-year period. The team that worked with a very short grant submission timeline included College of Health, Education and Social Welfare (CHESW) Associate Dean Scott Ashmann (Education), CHESW Dean Susan Gallagher-Lepak, Kim Schanock (coordinator of community partnerships and grants, GBAPSD), Theresa Willems (executive director, GBAPSD) and Julie Seefeldt (director of English Language Learner Programs, GBAPSD).