Congratulations to Tami Weiss and all those involved in Arts Integration Menomonie (AIM) on winning the 2017 ‘Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin’ award from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction! State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers stated, “Those who have worked on projects receiving this year’s rural awards demonstrate that support and the collaborative spirit that makes positive things happen for kids and communities. Their efforts make our rural communities vibrant places for children to learn.”
AIM is a collaborative partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the School District of the Menomonie Area, and the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. AIM integrates the arts into the community and the elementary schools. The AIM partnership promotes collaborative models of teaching among classroom teachers and UW-Stout students. The outcomes of the partnership have potential to enhance teacher competence and confidence and to improve the retention of pre-service teachers and early career teachers within the teaching profession.
The ARC collects data from the Early Career and Pre-Service Teachers prior to participating and after program completion. The pre and post survey results are compared and analyzed to evaluate the programs impact on teacher competence and confidence when integrating the arts into their teaching. In addition, participants are tracked longitudinally to determine the impact on teacher retention over time.
We are very proud to work with Tami and her team on the AIM evaluation.
