WHITEWATER — Bill Frain needed a little extra help when it came to college, so he appreciated the time his professors at UW-Whitewater made for him.
“I was not afraid to ask for help, and I never got turned down,” he said. “I don’t remember a teacher ever saying I couldn’t come to their office for help.”
Frain, 47, of Evansville earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education after taking night classes for about eight years, and now he’s student teaching at Van Buren Elementary School in Janesville to obtain his teaching license.
He is one of hundreds of teachers who graduate annually from UW-Whitewater, which turns out the most teachers in the UW System, according to a recent Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction report.
The annual teacher supply and demand report ranks UW-Whitewater No. 1 among the 13 UW System schools in overall teacher education graduates in 2006-07.
Of the university’s 479 teacher education graduates in 2006-07:
--402 were new teachers, the most among UW System schools.
--77 already were licensed teachers, the second most (behind UW-Milwaukee) among UW System schools.
--171 were elementary school teachers, the most among UW System schools.
--170 were high school and special subject-area teachers, the most among UW System schools.
--98 were special education teachers, the second most (behind UW-Eau Claire) among UW System schools.
Jeffery Barnett, dean of the UW-Whitewater College of Education, said because the university supplies the most teachers, it also has a “major influence” on the quality of education in the state.
He said perhaps what makes the university especially attractive to future teachers is its dual licensure program, which certifies teachers in both early childhood education and early childhood special education.
The program, the only one of its kind in the UW System, was developed about five years ago when officials noticed a large number of students were majoring in both elementary education and special education.
“There’s a bit of an oversupply (of teachers) in elementary education and a shortage in special education,” Barnett said.
The program addresses that imbalance, he said, and teachers who complete the program are capable of teaching children in either setting.
He said the program focuses on early childhood (pre-kindergarten to third grade) rather than elementary education (first to sixth grade) so teachers are able to make an impact on children earlier, including identifying more quickly those with special needs.
Barnett points to several others reasons for UW-Whitewater’s high rankings:
--Wide variety of majors and minors;
--More than 100 professors, who are specialists in their subject areas;
--Small class sizes, most between 15 and 25 students;
--Travel study opportunities;
--Accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Frain said as a non-traditional student, UW-Whitewater was more willing than other institutions to work with him to get him on track to earn his degree.
He said the commitment from his professors reinforced his decision to attend the university.
“They’re good professors,” Frain said. “They make time for you. I guess for somebody my age that was valuable because I needed things explained to me more than the younger students.”