HISTORY OF THE IUE

HISTORY OF THE IUE5

In 2006, in preparation for the UWSA 2007-2009 biennial budget planning, the University of Wisconsin-System Administration (UWSA) convened a representative group of Deans and Directors of Schools, Colleges, and Programs of Education from across UW-System to identify and discuss the most pressing issues associated with the preparation of PK-12 educators

After numerous discussions about relevant issues, the following priorities were identified as necessary for improving teacher preparation in Wisconsin: • Enhancing cultural and social competencies for teacher education students • Recruiting and retaining a diverse student body in teacher education • Enhancing program capacity to meet the needs of the state (specifically, to increase production of high demand/low supply teacher licensure areas) • Assessing and evaluating the UW-System Teacher Education Programs

To advance these priorities, three specific initiatives were put forward as part of the formal UWSA 2007-2009 biennial budget request to the State of Wisconsin. The UW-System Institute for Urban Education (IUE) was one initiative funded by the state and housed in the UW-Milwaukee School of Education. The original concept of the IUE was to create a system-wide institute that would be “housed” within the UWSA, rather than at an individual UW-System institution. This decision was endorsed by the UW System Deans and Directors and UWSA leadership as the best strategy to ensure open access to all UW System education programs and retain a system-wide identity. The IUE’s brief history since its inception includes the following: • From Fall 2007-2012, UWSA was responsible for the administration of the IUE. The administrative “home” for the institute was, ultimately, moved to UWM in Fall 2012. • From Fall 2012-Spring 2017, the IUE operated with one full-time Director and part-time staff • The departure of the IUE Director in 2017 stimulated a major program revision in 2018, led by UW-System Administration and UW-Milwaukee. At that time, the GUEST program, directed by Amy Gutowski, assumed the responsibilities of clinical placement in MPS until the IUE reopened. • In 2018, the IUE was redesigned with UWSA’s continued funding and entered its third iteration with a focus on expanding its involvement to include nine urban school districts where students had inequitable access to quality teachers.

Today, the IUE’s revised model better reflects its system-wide mission “to advance the field of urban education and to recruit, promote and retain high quality educators for urban

districts''. Its mission and vision address gaps in children’s access to quality educators by creating a continuous pipeline of culturally relevant teachers for urban classrooms.

5 Reprinted from Tompkins, F. (2012). The University of Wisconsin Institute for Urban Education: A Brief history and vision for the future.