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Championing teachers: Community, state support are vital in recruiting, retention of educators

goersab — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Championing teachers: Community, state support are vital in recruiting, retention of educatorsgoersab October 6, 2025

�� prepares future teachers through personalized approach; Teach Day event for high schoolers is Oct. 15

It is no secret that enrollment in teacher preparation programs all over the country is suffering. The shortages that school districts are feeling in Wisconsin specifically are very real, and districts large and small are being impacted, said �� School of Education Director Shannon Donnelly.

According to a June 2025 analysis by the Learning Policy Institute, more than 410,000 teaching positions nationwide were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments, representing about 1 in 8 of all teaching positions.

“This puts a massive strain on school districts when trying to ensure that they are meeting the needs of all students,” Donnelly said. “Often, these types of positions are filled by professionals without teaching credentials or will simply remain unfilled. As you can imagine, this greatly impacts the educational experience for students and significantly strains the system.”

Attracting people to join the education field is admittedly becoming more and more difficult, especially in high-demand areas such as special education, technology education, and family and consumer science, and subject areas such as math and science, Donnelly added.

School districts nationwide are looking for solutions to recruit and retain teachers by implementing innovative, research-backed strategies.

“One of the first things we as current educators can do is to be the biggest champions of the profession,” she said. “If we aren’t shouting from the rooftops all of the amazing and wonderful reasons to teach, who will? We desperately need to reframe the profession of teaching back to its core, which is the gift of impacting students and families.”

Donnelly also thinks that barriers need to be removed for those seeking teaching degrees, through offering online programs and flexible access, of which she said, “Stout is a leader.”

She thinks the most crucial method to attract people to the profession is through vital community and state support. “This comes in the form of strong partnerships and advocacy from communities and a significant financial investment and commitment by the state,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly believes one of the best ways to retain teachers is to create conditions in schools where teachers feel supported, respected and treated as professionals.

“While the improvement of compensation and benefits will be an ongoing topic of discussion, the research shows that those components are not the driving force behind why teachers leave the field. People leave due to feeling overworked, under-supported and under-prepared,” she said.

“We need to ensure teachers are wrapped in a culture where they are viewed as the professional experts of their field because they are,” Donnelly added.

Preparing future teachers

At ��, Wisconsin ��. ��, School of Education students are engaged right from day one in their teaching area of interest: art education; early childhood education; family and consumer sciences education; marketing and business education; math education; social studies education; special education; and technology education.

Their progressive development in applied learning moves students through interactive and relevant activities in their labs and courses to teaching experiences on campus and in school districts before graduation.

“I am proud of our ongoing work at Stout to ensure that we are utilizing innovative ways to best prepare our future teachers to excel and succeed in an environment that is ever-changing,” Donnelly said. “We place a high priority on getting students out into K-12 classrooms immediately. This unique, personalized approach allows our students to explore a variety of teaching areas and age levels so they can pursue the education career path most exciting to them.”

Graduates are 100% employed or are continuing their education within six months of graduation and have an average starting salary of $52,000, according to Career Services’ First Destination Report.

“I continue to be so impressed with the passion and pride that our faculty have for our educator preparation pathways at Stout. We have a longstanding reputation for providing high-quality programming and ensuring that our graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to successfully enter the education profession,” Donnelly added.

Teach Day shows students a variety of pathways

The School of Education will host its fifth annual Teach Day on Wednesday, Oct. 15, with hands-on activities for prospective students who are interested in becoming teachers. Students explore any of the eight pathways in �� . undergraduate teacher preparation programs.

In past years, high school students from Minnesota and Wisconsin have attended Teach Day, with regional students from Menomonie, St. Croix Central, Somerset, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, Elk Mound and more.

“We want Teach Day to be an event where students leave with excitement about the variety of pathways they can pursue to be a teacher while also seeing Stout as a place that they could call home,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly was previously the superintendent of the Somerset School District, whose students often participate in Teach Day. The high school offers multiple exploratory courses for students interested in becoming teachers.

“The Teach Day event was a natural fit,” Donnelly said. “Students and staff came back from Teach Day excited, having learned about the wide variety of educational licensure options Stout offers. They added how impressed they were with Stout as a whole, as for many students, Teach Day is their first interaction with a college campus.”

Donnelly began as the School of Education director in July. She has her bachelor ��. in vocational rehabilitation, now known as B.S. in rehabilitation services, and her master ��. in education from ��, as well as her educational specialist degree from University of St. Thomas and a Doctorate of Education from Bethel University.

In addition to its undergraduate degrees, the School of Education offers postgraduate degrees in career and technical education, education, school counseling, and school psychology, as well as nine education certificates and certifications.

These programs are among the many workforce-ready programs administered in Heritage Hall. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sept. 9 to celebrate the start of the three-year, $144.3 million Heritage Hall renovation project that will transform the half-century-old building into a cutting-edge educational hub to help meet Wisconsin ��. workforce needs.

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�� prepares future teachers through personalized approach; Teach Day event for high schoolers is Oct. 15 Early Childhood Education

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Doing for a day: Teach Day gives high school students a glimpse of possible career path

polingj — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 18:03:26 +0000

Doing for a day: Teach Day gives high school students a glimpse of possible career pathpolingj February 15, 2024

Interest in teaching brings 94 of them to campus to learn more about the School of Education ��. seven undergraduate programs

High school students who attended Teach Day at �� learned quickly that the teaching profession, like the university ��. other majors, is about doing.

Soon after arriving, the 94 students from 11 regional high schools were working on hands-on projects such as designing a billboard, writing a multigrade lesson plan and creating a public service announcement. �� . slogan Do More on Day One reflecting the applied learning focus became Do for One Day.

“Students got a taste of teaching and heard from �� students what it ��. like,” said Deanna Schultz, associate dean and School of Education director. “There ��. such a huge need for teachers, a desperate need for fully licensed teachers. Teach Day helps build the teacher pipeline.

Ann Carlisle, director of �� . art education undergraduate program, speaks to high school students during Teach Day. At right is art education major Courtney Burr. / ��

“It ��. a fun day. We’ve had students who leave saying, “I can see myself at Stout,’” Schultz said of the biannual event that began three years ago.

In family and consumer sciences education, students were guided through a project by Professor Diane Klemme and several of her students. The visitors created two small Valentine ��. Day candy boxes out of paper, one for residents of Our House Senior Living in Menomonie and one to give to a friend.

“We were hoping to show students the important skill of doing demonstrations in the classroom. Family and consumer sciences is a hands-on program, and future teachers will need to be able to do demonstrations in a classroom. We also wanted to connect service learning and giving back to the community,” Klemme said.

�� technology education majors Cadence Calkins, left, and Miranda Johnstone lead high school students in a discussion about the teaching profession. / ��

In technology education, students created a public service announcement. “This allowed them to know what it was like doing a project as a teacher,” Instructor Barb Bauer said. “It also allowed them to work with other disciplines to help them understand we all have the same goals as teachers.”

In early childhood education, students made little “critters” out of craft materials and discussed lesson plans for how the animals could be used to teach children from prekindergarten to second grade.

They also visited the Child and Family Study Center and observed teachers working with infants and toddlers. Kennedy Reckmann, a junior from Lake City, Minn., an early childhood education major, led one of the tours to observation rooms.

Barb Bauer, technology education program director, talks with a high school student during Teach Day. / ��

Reckmann explained how she and other �� students use the rooms to “get an open view of what children are actually doing.” She is completing her prestudent teaching this semester with 4-year-olds at the center.

From 15 to 20 �� students in education programs supported Teach Day by leading interactive sessions.

Teachers and advisers accompanied the high school contingents, including Amanda Van Oosten, a family and consumer sciences teacher at Wausau West High School. She brought 24 students who were interested in a variety of teaching programs.

“Students have really enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the day, hearing from some of the Stout students and getting a real feel for the campus,” Van Oosten said.

Teach Day activities included hands-on projects in each of the seven undergraduate teaching majors offered at ��. / ��

“They get to see other students interested in what they’re interested in and put a face to the major,” she added.

Van Oosten teaches an Aspiring Educators class, in which students can dual-enroll and earn college credit at Northcentral Technical College. She also helps with the student chapter of Educators Rising.

Seven undergraduate teaching programs

Students were greeted by and received an overview of the day from Schultz and Professor Debbie Stanislawski. They also met with directors of the seven education undergraduate programs:

Seth Dutter, applied mathematics and computer science, with a math education concentration
Ann Carlisle, art education
Lindsay Barnhart, early childhood education
Klemme, family and consumer sciences education
Stanislawski, marketing and business education
Kevin Mason, special education
Bauer, technology education

Along with the Bachelor of Science programs, �� offers five graduate programs in education, five certificates and three certifications.

A total of 94 students from 11 regional high schools attended Teach Day, sponsored by �� . School of Education. / ��

Teach Day drew mostly juniors and seniors. School districts represented were: Altoona, Augusta, Cameron, Chippewa Falls, Elk River, Minn., Gilmanton, Greenwood, La Crosse Logan, Loyal, River Falls and Wausau West.

Holly Vang, a senior from Wausau West, attended Teach Day for early childhood education in part because she is taking a Young Adult Education course and sees herself someday interacting with young children in her career in a teaching-related field.

“I see that teaching the next generation is very important. I really have respect for people who teach,” said Vang.

The day wrapped up with nine �� education majors answering questions from the high school students about life as a student at ��. They talked about the hands-on nature of the programs, opportunities to get involved on campus, small class sizes, close connections to professors, the convenience of campus and flexible class schedules compared to high school.

Along with the School of Education, Teach Day was supported by Enrollment and Strategic Initiatives, the Admissions Office, and Continuing Education and Conferences.

###

High school students who attended Teach Day at �� learned quickly that the teaching profession, like the university ��. other majors, is about doing. Teach Day 5

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In 20 years of teaching family and consumer sciences, Emily Larson has built a powerhouse program at Amery High School in northwestern Wisconsin.

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School of Education ��. Teach Day gives high school students opportunity to ‘explore teaching in an interactive way’

goersab — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 17:02:16 +0000

School of Education ��. Teach Day gives high school students opportunity to ‘explore teaching in an interactive way’goersab November 28, 2022

Education students help to inspire others to meet the growing need of teachers in Wisconsin

Abbey Goers

Nearly 150 high school students from 27 schools around the state attended Teach Day at �� on Nov. 14.

Hosted by the School of Education, the event is an opportunity for high school students to learn from �� teacher education students and for university students to practice their skills as future teachers.

“We are thrilled to be hosting so many students from across the state,” said SOE Director Deanna Schultz. “The interest in teaching as a future career is exciting to see, and we hope these young people will leave with information and the determination to continue on this career path.”

Over the next five years, Wisconsin is projected to need nearly 2,400 additional qualified teachers, with job growth expected to increase by 3.5% over the next decade. The value of graduates from ��'s education programs has never been greater for Wisconsin schools.

University students led much of Teach Day, with support from program directors. Students shared why they chose the university, why they plan to enter the teaching profession and led breakout sessions where high school students learned about their program of interest.

High school students from around the state attended ��'s Teach Day. / ��

Isabelle Whited, a visiting student from Wausau West High School, joined the technology education group. “I found technology was an area I excelled in. I wouldn’t have explored it if it weren’t for my teacher Mr. Peterson. I want to help other students explore and excel in technology,” Whited said.

High school students learned how to write a lesson plan, which they could take back to their schools and use to teach a class. They also toured campus and met with university students during lunch to talk more about their programs of interest.

Event responds to growing need for teachers

Last year ��. pilot program focused on family and consumer sciences education; marketing and business education; and technology education. About a dozen Wisconsin high school students attended.

Teach Day, this year, expanded to include nearly all undergraduate SOE programs: art education; early childhood education; family and consumer sciences; marketing and business education; math education; special education; and technology education.

“The expansion resulted in an increase in numbers, especially those interested in early childhood education. The event was also marketed to teachers at the �� Family and Consumer Education Conference in September, and many of them brought their students to Teach Day,” Schultz said.

Students interested in early childhood education and family and consumer sciences made up nearly two-thirds of the attending registrants.

Teach Day expanded to include nearly all undergraduate School of Education programs. / ��

Sarah Korte, a junior in family and consumer sciences, volunteered during Teach Day “because I know that not only do we need teachers, but I love to inspire and encourage others to find what they love to do in life.”

Korte was in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America in high school. FCCLA and her family and consumer sciences teacher helped her learn that she loves to teach.

“I love this event because I get to share my passion for teaching, and I get to teach other people about my major and ��. This event gives people the opportunity to explore teaching in an interactive way,” Korte said.

Technology education majors Sam Konieczny and Ben Schmitt also volunteer during Teach Day. Their high school technology education teachers were influential in their decisions to teach.

Schmitt assisted his teacher in high school, working with his classmates and stepping up into a leadership role. “I hope my involvement with Teach Day gives high school students that opportunity to experience teaching for a day and gain clarity about a path to teaching through ��,” he said.

“Teach Day gives high school students who are looking at a career in education a chance to see the other side of the desk and what Stout has to offer them,” Konieczny added.

Konieczny believes education is one of the most rewarding careers. “It is the best thing to be working with someone and watch what they weren’t understanding click and make sense. And to work and inspire students to find themselves and prepare them for a future in a career that excites them,” he said.

Students participated in breakout sessions to learn more about their programs of interest. / ��

Korte, of Wisconsin Rapids, hopes to student teach at Mauston High School before graduating in spring 2024. She plans to teach in central Wisconsin. Konieczny and Schmitt plan to student teach in fall 2023 and graduate that semester. Schmitt, of Somerset, would like to teach in western Wisconsin.

Konieczny, from Oak Creek, a Milwaukee suburb, would like to “go back to the Milwaukee area and give back to the community that helped me get to where I am today,” he said. “When I look back at some of the people who made the biggest difference in my life, it was my teachers. For me to think I can make that same difference and influence someone in that way is something that excites me.”

�� . School of Education, housed in Heritage Hall, offers seven undergraduate teaching degrees, as well as postgraduate degrees in career and technical education, education, school counseling and school psychology and eight education certificates and certifications.

SOE programs are among the many workforce-ready programs administered in Heritage Hall, a near-50-year-old building that is scheduled for major renovation after receiving priority approval from the UW System Board of Regents. The project is ranked No. 1 in the Chippewa Valley and No. 3 for UW System academic buildings.

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Education students help to inspire others to meet the growing need of teachers in Wisconsin Teach Day, students at breakout session, 2

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Teach Day encourages high school students to explore teaching career

powersp — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 19:24:10 +0000

Teach Day encourages high school students to explore teaching careerpowersp November 22, 2021

Pilot project allows a dozen Wisconsin high schoolers to learn from �� students

About a dozen Wisconsin high school students visited University of Wisconsin-Stout on Nov. 15 to learn how they could impact future generations.

The students came to explore teaching as a career during Teach Day, a university pilot program.

Students from Eau Claire, Prescott, Cameron, Brookfield, Holmen, Slinger, Jefferson and Merrill took part in the daylong event.

“There is a shortage of career and technical education teachers in the country,” said Debbie Stanislawski, professor and program director of marketing and business education. “We wanted junior and senior high school leaders to think about the teaching profession. We wanted to get them on campus, see the programs �� offers and get them excited about a career in teaching.”

�� students shared why they chose the university and their plan to enter the teaching profession in technology education, marketing and business education and family and consumer sciences education.

Students learned how to create a public service announcement to help solve a problem. / �� photo by Chris Cooper

During Teach Day, high school students created storyboards for a public service announcement about the need for CTE teachers and wrote the announcement. They also learned how to write a lesson plan that they could take back to their schools and use to teach a class.

They also had an opportunity to tour campus and learn more about programs at ��.

Teaching: ‘Every day is different’

Riley Seifert, a �� senior technology education major from Cottage Grove, loved being a part of Teach Day. “It ��. something I wish I would have had,” he said. “I think it was a good opportunity to learn.”

Seifert chose teaching as a career because he envisions that every day will be different. “I found education to be a really rewarding field,” he said. “No day is the same and there are new challenges every day.”

Monica Miranda, a �� sophomore majoring in marketing and business education, was excited to be part of Teach Day because she wanted to help answer high school students’ questions about college.

“I love the flexibility of the marketing and business education program,” she said. “You have the opportunity to be a teacher, or if you decide you want to go into business and marketing you have that option. Teaching encourages kids to be the best they can be. You can help shape their future.”

Miranda chose �� because she graduated from Boyceville High School, a smaller school. �� offers a similar atmosphere and many opportunities to get involved in activities.

Faith Leisgang, a first-year marketing and business education major from Black River Falls, felt Teach Day introduced CTE to high school students.

“I think it is important for students to be able to come into the classroom and explore what they will be doing as teachers,” she said.

Leisgang was an assistant dance teacher in her hometown. She fell in love with teaching and helping others grow and progress.

High-demand occupations, with opportunities

Stanislawski attended a conference last year focused on expanding the supply of teachers in high demand areas. There is a shortage of marketing and business, family and consumer sciences, and technology education teachers — the programs that were highlighted during Teach Day.

Students learned how to create a lesson plan they could take back to their school and then teach. / �� photo by Chris Cooper

Stanislawski along with Barbara Bauer, program director and instructor of technology education, and Diane Klemme, professor and program director of family and consumer sciences education, decided to host Teach Day.

“This is a high-demand occupation with a lot of opportunities,” Stanislawski said of teaching.

Bauer said the goal was to give high school students a reason to come on campus and learn more about �� and teaching.

“Our students are our greatest advocates,” Klemme said. “The high school students got a chance to talk to our students and see what life is like on campus.”

Megan Schatz, a Brookfield High School junior, attended Teach Day to help explore a teaching career.

“I have always liked working with my hands, and teaching is something I would love to do,” Schatz said. “Technology education just seems like a natural fit. I thought I would come to learn about what you have to do to get started and the opportunities there are.”

The plan is to hold future Teach Days to help encourage more high school students to consider the career.

Grace Koehler, a senior at Merrill High School, was encouraged to attend Teach Day by her technology education teacher, Jordan Kratz, a �� alum.

Koehler has taken part in a past SkillsUSA competition and toured ��. “I loved it,” she said, noting she enjoyed hearing from �� students about the campus and the programs available.

�� offers a B.S. in CTE, an M.S. in CTE and an Ed.D. in CTE leadership.

About a dozen Wisconsin high school students visited University of Wisconsin-Stout on Nov. 15 to learn how they could impact future generations. teachhero.jpg

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Hero Caption: High school students from throughout Wisconsin visited �� Nov. 15 to learn about careers and opportunities in teaching as part of a pilot program called Teach Day. / Photos by Chris Cooper

Debbie Stanislawski

Debbie Stanislawski is ��'s Program Director for Marketing and Business Education (MBE). In this role, she provides academic advising to all students in the MBE major, leads curriculum development and implementation, and teaches courses on assessment, curriculum design, and instruction. Debbie also oversees clinical experiences for aspiring educators. Additionally, she teaches leadership courses within the doctoral program and mentors graduate students in career and technical education, guiding them through their thesis and dissertation work. Before joining ��, Debbie gained valuable experience teaching middle and high school business in Wisconsin and Illinois. Her time in the PK-12 education system ignited her passion for preparing future educators. Debbie's research interests include instructional technology, particularly in exploring how educators at �� integrate generative AI into their coursework. She is also deeply involved in research focused on the comprehensive preparation of future teachers for their roles in career and technical education. In her free time, Debbie enjoys kayaking, hiking, training hunting dogs, and traveling.

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Area of Expertise: Instructional Technology

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Degree: Ph.D. Professional Studies

University: Capella University

Degree: M.S. Instructional Technology & Telecommunications

University: Western Illinois University

Degree: B.S. Business Education

University: Winona State University

Degree: Wisconsin Teaching License #250 Business Education (Grades 6-12)

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Degree: Wisconsin Teaching License #265 Elementary Keyboarding (Grades PreK-8)

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News

Championing teachers: Community, state support are vital in recruiting, retention of educators

Preparing future teachers

Teach Day shows students a variety of pathways

School of Education

Teach Day

Doing for a day: Teach Day gives high school students a glimpse of possible career path

Seven undergraduate teaching programs

Teaching excellence: Four School of Education alum honored with awards

School of Education ��������. Teach Day gives high school students opportunity to ‘explore teaching in an interactive way’

Event responds to growing need for teachers

School of Education

Teach Day encourages high school students to explore teaching career

School of Education ��. Teach Day gives high school students opportunity to ‘explore teaching in an interactive way’