The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced today that they will be extending the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program through the 2028-29 school year, thanks to a new $8 million in private funding. The program (launched in 2020) covers the cost of in-state tuition, testing, and licensing costs for students who attend a UW-Madison teacher preparatory program and pledge to teach in a Wisconsin school for at least 4 years (or three years in a high need district/high need specialty). Prior to the announcement, private funding would have only sustained the program through the 2026-27 school year.From the UW-Madison School of Education: “As of spring 2024, 773 students have taken the Teacher Pledge. Of those, 354 are already teaching in 88 public school districts and 14 private schools across Wisconsin. This work is vital at a time when a nationwide teacher shortage continues to generate headlines and frustrate policymakers in search of solutions. A new report released in April by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction found Wisconsin educators continue to leave the state’s workforce “at an alarming rate” and that the retention of teachers is a “significant issue that needs to be addressed.”
