A select group of Wyoming educators from Casper, Cheyenne, Kemmerer, Laramie and Worland will use information developed at a University of Wyoming retreat to develop policy recommendation for Wyoming education.
Fellows in the Wyoming Teacher Policy Institute (WTPI) attended an action research workshop led by Allen Trent, department head and associate professor in UW's Department of Educational Studies.
"Each of the fellows left this year's retreat with a well-written research question and a draft of their research plan," says Lori Kimbrough, professional development coordinator with GEAR UP Wyoming, one of the retreat's sponsors. In spring the educators will disseminate their research findings and recommendations to education policy makers in Wyoming, she says.
The retreat is an annual kick-off event to prepare the WTPI fellows, a select group of elementary through high school educators from around the state, for the research activities they will pursue during the school year.
WTPI is a collaborative effort among the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), the University of Wyoming, and public school teachers and administrators across the state. Trent, as research adviser for the WTPI, provides guidance and instruction to fellows throughout the year.
This year, GEAR UP Wyoming, a federally funded grant project located in the UW Office of Student Educational Opportunity, partnered with the WDE to co-sponsor the WTPI retreat.
GEAR UP Wyoming is funded 50 percent through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education totaling $3.5 million annually with an additional $3.5 million provided by in-kind and scholarship contributions from Wyoming's community colleges, UW and the WDE.
Participating Teachers:
Albany County School District 1, Laramie -- Deb Alworth, Ruth Hanks and Donna Hockley, Laramie Junior High School; Kate Kniss, Linford Elementary; and Andrea Hayden, Spring Creek Elementary.
Laramie County School District 1, Cheyenne -- Susan Pannel, Carey Junior High School; Gary Scott, Triumph High School; Angie Matsen and Jim Zlomke, East High School; Diana Clark and Tascha Smith, Johnson Junior High School; Becky Evans, Hobbs Elementary; and Kathrine Thelen, Afflerbach Elementary.
Lincoln County School District 1, Kemmerer -- Barbara Aimone, Kemmerer High School; and Teresa Chaulk, superintendent.
Natrona County School District 1, Casper -- Jennifer Grooms, Nicole Roden and Deyonne Jackson, Woods Learning Center.
Washakie County School District 1, Worland -- Shauna Bruckner, West Side Elementary School.
