Greetings District Superintendents,

In this week’s update, in addition to another layer of vision casting and the latest on the Teacher Apprenticeship initiative, we proudly recognize Wyoming’s two U.S. Presidential Scholars, and eagerly share our most recent “on the road” excursion. We then conclude with the details of our Week of Academic Vision for Excellence (WAVE) Conference and some important memos from our department chiefs.

Vision & Focus

Besides being rooted in a solid identity, if a national leadership role is in the cards for us, it will require tenacity, integrity, and a good measure of vision, determination and perseverance – some of the core ingredients of courage. This week, some mild musings on this crucial leadership trait.

Among all the decisions, big and small, we as leaders face every day – sometimes several times a day – we must decide whether to give in to our fears (we all have them) or push through and overcome them. Leadership is an enterprise that only functions well when it yields to courage; therefore, fear-based leadership is not leadership.

If courage is about doing the right thing – the thing that needs to be done no matter the consequences, personally or professionally – then healthy leadership is synonymous with courage. So if Wyoming schools are poised to take the lead, it will be in large part because Wyoming schools have a courageous quality to them. With few exceptions, this quality trickles down from its leaders. Everything does rise or fall on leadership, but leadership rises or falls on courage.

The Primary Priority   

Recently, several of us here at the WDE participated in a webinar hosted by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Tennessee Commissioner Penny Schwinn called “Grow Your Own: Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship, A National Model.” In response to the teacher shortage crisis that the Volunteer State had been experiencing for the last several years, leadership there developed an innovative program that became wildly successful in solving this serious problem, and have been equally excited about sharing it with the rest of the nation.

This special digital presentation was not only informative and instructive, but tremendously inspiring, as we continue to work toward launching our own Wyoming version of a Teacher Apprenticeship initiative. While our work group puts on the finishing touches, the anticipation builds in preparation for our presentation to Governor Mark Gordon on May 18. We’ll keep you posted as things move ahead on this front.

In the Spotlight

Congratulations go out to Isabelle Radakovich from Cody High School and Keegan Allen Miller from Laramie High School – Wyoming’s 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars! U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the 58th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as a demonstrated commitment to community service and leadership.

“Our 2022 Presidential Scholars represent the best of America, and remind us that when empowered by education, there are no limits to what our young people can achieve,” Cardona said.

On the Road, In The Field

Deputy Superintendent Chad Auer and I had the pleasure of touring the now legendary WyoTech, a true Wyoming treasure. Homegrown in Laramie, the school has survived 60 years of ups and downs, including corporate purchases, expansions, closures and bankruptcy. In the summer of 2018, through the last-ditch efforts of Governor Matt Mead, several legislators and Jim Mathis (a former student, teacher and executive across the years), the doors remained open with only 12 students. The student count had gone as high as several thousand at times in the past.

Fast forward to 2022, thanks to the visionary and tireless leadership of Mr. Mathis and his team, every square foot of the school’s many buildings are now bustling with the sounds of students and staff toiling away on vehicles and equipment of every kind. In addition, a plan for significant expansion is nearing implementation. What a terrific place to have right in the backyard of our high school students as they consider college, military and career ready options going forward.

You can learn more about WyoTech here.

Mark Your Calendars

The WDE’s Special Education Programs Division announces the return of the annual in-person Week of Academic Vision for Excellence (WAVE) Conference to be held at the Central Wyoming College in Riverton from July 26-28. The WDE will offer this conference at no cost for 2022. This conference is relevant for educators, parents, and other Wyoming stakeholders. State and national presenters will cover topics such as trauma response, behavior/discipline, and Special Education law.

Join department staff for a meet-and-greet reception on July 26 at the Riverton Country Club. Due to limited space, pre-registration for this event is required by July 5. A ticket will be provided for admittance when you pick up your name tag at the conference registration table.

Registration will close on July 5, 2022.

• Register for the conference here.
• 2022 WAVE Conference schedules, presenter session descriptions, presenter bios, and venue information can be found here.

For more information, contact Deana Smith at 307-777-5326 or deana.smith@wyo.gov or Jennifer Duncan at 307-777-3530 or jennifer.duncan@wyo.gov.

Monday memos:

• 2022-064-2022-Native-American-Education-Conference-PDF
• 2022-065-Wyoming-Seal-of-Biliteracy-PDF
• 2022-066-2021-22-Virtual-Education-Vendor-Teacher-Collection-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

Governor Mark Gordon proclaimed May 1-7 as Teacher Appreciation Week, and we were honored here in Cheyenne by the presence of two of our illustrious Wyoming teachers who attended the governor’s proclamation signing at the Capitol. We thanked them for their long-term diligent commitment and we again thank you for the same. Stay encouraged and take care of yourselves – our students and parents need you to stay in the game for the long haul.

Vision & Focus

Leading the nation in education is a multi-splendored thing to be sure, but one of the key guideposts will be identity – knowing who we are and who we are not. Security breeds leadership and leadership breeds security. Wyoming is poised to lead the nation in education because it knows who it is and who it is not.

The same goes for our schools. Over time, like our local communities, our schools develop an identity based on a culture. If healthy (or becoming healthier), it will serve as an anchor for our young people. If it endures, it can serve as an example for our entire nation. That’s the vision.

The Primary Priority   

According to the Merrimack College Teacher Survey, teacher job satisfaction has hit an all-time low. Representing more than 1,300 teachers, this representative poll paints a picture of a disillusioned, exhausted workforce.

It is unclear to what extent this “heaviness” is affecting Wyoming teachers, but we know the teacher shortage crisis is real. Therefore, the primary priority for the WDE is the Wyoming Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative based in part on the highly-successful Tennessee model.

Our newly-formed work group (a robust cross-section of all the key stakeholders) had another very productive meeting recently. The excitement builds as we prepare for our meeting with Governor Gordon on May 18, when we present the draft apprenticeship framework. We will keep you posted as things transpire on this front every step of the way.

In the Spotlight

If you recall back in the fall of 2020, the WDE announced that it had been awarded the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grant by the United States Department of Education. Year one funding for Wyoming was $8.6 million. With continued eligibility over the following five years, the total could reach $43.3 million. The grant is being used to create a comprehensive state literacy program to advance literacy skills — including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing — for students from birth through grade 12, including limited-English-proficient students and students with disabilities. As of May 2022, the full amount has been granted through 2025 to the 24 school districts that have applied.

On the Road, In The Field

The past couple weeks have brought several more inspiring school district visits. The first one took us up to beautiful Sundance at Crook County #1, hosted by Superintendent Mark Broderson, while the second one was just around the corner at home here in Cheyenne at Laramie County #1 with Dr. Margaret Crespo.

A third trip ventured up to Campbell County #1 with Deputy Superintendent Kirby Eisenhauer, complemented the same day with a stop at the delightful Youth Emergency Services House in Gillette with Clark Fairbanks and some of his dedicated colleagues. Thursday took us to Natrona County District #1 with Superintendent Mike Jennings and his Associate Superintendent Walt Wilcox, and Friday capped it all off at Johnson County School District #1 with a visit to Superintendent Charles Auzqui and his Buffalo schools.

I wish time and space allowed for some highlights from these visits, but suffice it to say, each one has again yielded an enriched perspective on all the good things going on in our schools as well as an appreciation for how hard our district and school leaders are working to get the job done. While much going on across our nation in education is very concerning, Wyoming schools give me hope.

Mark Your Calendars

The 2022 Summer Technical Assistance Retreat (STAR) Conference will be held virtually from June 21-23, and June 28-29, 2022. The STAR Conference will focus on Grants Management System, Homeless Education, Consolidated Federal Grants, and more. From June 21-23, the sessions will focus on Federal Programs management, and from June 28-29 the annual McKinney-Vento Homeless Education post-conference will be offered.

Registration is open for both conferences. The cost for the STAR Conference is $45. There is no registration fee for the McKinney-Vento post-conference, but registration is required. For detailed information about the conference, keynote speakers, and registration, follow these links:

• Registration

• Session Schedule

Monday Memos

• 2022-061-2022-Wyoming-Computer-Science-Education-Conference-PDF
• 2022-062-Perkins-V-Professional-Development-Grant-PDF
• 2022-063-CTE-Demonstration-Project-Grant-Request-for-Proposal-RFP-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

Spring has sprung (we hope), and as you lead your schools to the finish line, I hope the change of season recharges your batteries and renews your resolve. At the same time, Spring is a great reminder of the need to get outside and smell the flowers! The work-life balance is a challenge for all of us, and at times seemingly impossible to achieve – but strive for it we must or burn out we will. Take care of yourselves, protect that all-important family time and enjoy the great outdoors of Wyoming!

Vision & Focus

Continuing our thoughts from last week, how is it conceivable that the smallest state in the Union in population could lead that Union in education? Or in the words of one who shares this vision, UW Ellbogen Dean, Dr. Scott Thomas: “Second to none by 2030!”

Are we both dreaming? Maybe, but sometimes it takes an outsider (or two) to share a fresh take on just how unique Wyoming is and how very special the people of Wyoming remain. Our country is losing itself, yet Wyoming as a whole, has still not drunk the Kool-Aid. So for starters, we can lead the nation by not following the direction that much of it is going, and helping our kids resist the cultural abyss that is clawing at them. That will be the essential piece if we are to emerge as leaders on the education front. More next time.

The Primary Priority   

Things are moving at a brisk pace with the teacher apprenticeship initiative. A workgroup has been formed that represents key stakeholders and will have its first meeting next week.

WDE and PTSB team members had a very productive meeting this week with key staff from the Tennessee Department of Education. Working closely with the US Department of Labor, these trailblazers were the first state in the country to sponsor Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship programs. Registered apprenticeship programs will allow for high-quality, industry-driven, work-based learning pathways that provide individuals with hands-on work experience while earning a wage that increases during the progression of the program.

Tennessee has paved the way for other states and are graciously sharing the results of multiple years of work in the form of a Playbook and other key materials and supports. Although the materials will not be available until early May, our team was able to gather significant information that not only confirmed various aspects of our own evolving framework, but will also allow us to keep things moving forward. While we do not intend to simply mirror what Tennessee has done, Wyoming will use these valuable resources to accelerate the process here at home.

In the Spotlight

We would be remiss if we did not “give honor to whom honor is due.”  Our own Dustin Brown and Laura Budd are doing some cutting-edge work with Wyoming Project Aware, so they will be our first WDE staffers to be put in this new Spotlight segment.

Dustin and Laura oversee the WDE efforts to provide behavioral health and substance abuse services within ten of our Wyoming school districts.  As they design theoretical models to maximize student class attendance, they also provide important support to other state agencies working on healthcare.

No surprise then that they are receiving growing recognition for their work:

• Their Wyoming Project AWARE Referral Pathway and Wyoming NOMS data collection processes are nationally recognized as a Best Practice.
• Their Wyoming Tier 3 Clinical Intervention Services has been deemed “innovative” by the National Leadership Team.
• Their Telehealth concept design is considered revolutionary by the CDC.
• They have been asked to provide presentations to the national or cohort audiences four times in the last year and twice this year currently

Congratulations, Dustin and Laura, you are in the spotlight.

Mark Your Calendars

The Fifth Annual Wyoming English as a Second Language and Dual Language Immersion Conference is April 29-30 in Gillette. The conference will offer a stimulating environment to share participants’ work, network, and learn from one another. Register here for free. View the conference schedule for more information.

Monday Memos

• 2022-049-COVID-Emergency-Grants-Opening-of-the-Data-Collection-Process-PDF
• 2022-050-Professional-Learning-Communities-at-Work-Initiative-Cohort-4-Application-Open-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

This week, Wyoming PBS will be launching a new digital series designed for students/kids from kindergarten through third grade, focused on science exploration and outdoor learning. The name of the series is Nature WY. Here’s a sample. They will be hosting a webinar starting at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13 for educators to showcase this content and show teachers where they can go to access the supplemental materials. Just a heads up for some of your teachers who you know might be interested in getting in on this.

Teacher Apprenticeship

Also, it will be important to continue to research some version of a Teacher Apprenticeship program in Wyoming, as we seek to respond to the teacher shortage problem we face. On this end, some select members of our WDE staff are working on getting our hands on the Tennessee playbook, as well as other related materials they are so willing to share.

I do want to make you aware that this process is in its infancy stage, and we will move forward judiciously, as we put concrete to our foundational plans.

We have searched for all related elements to this initiative from across Wyoming, whether that be from what some of the schools within our districts have already developed in this regard, or at the community college/university level. If you have some insights to share that could help us as we work on this, email our Communications Director, Linda Finnerty, at linda.finnerty@wyo.gov.

Deputy Superintendent Chad Auer has made contact with Representative Jerry Paxton from Encampment, and I will be meeting with Governor Mark Gordon to discuss how best to move this initiative forward. From there, we will begin conversations with Dr. Scott Thomas at the University of Wyoming, along with Dr. Sandy Caldwell with our community colleges, and Ryan Fuhrman with the State Board of Education and other stakeholders.

Look for an update in this space, hopefully on a weekly basis, to keep you fully informed as to the progress we hope to make on this initiative.

Thanks again for all you do.

Memos to be released today:

• 2022-046-Alternate-Assessment-Participation-Threshold-PDF
• 2022-047-Registration-for-Fall-2022-LETRS-Professional-Development-PDF

Sincerely,

Dear Superintendents,

Last fall the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) kicked off a campaign to encourage and support the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). UNLOCK YOUR FUTURE…FAFSA IS THE KEY encourages students to unlock the possibilities, and reach the next level in life. The statewide campaign includes digital media, a website, and support tools for schools and communities.

On October 1, 2021 we launched the FAFSA Completion Challenge. The WDE tracked FAFSA completion percentage rate by high school, in four size categories. A cash prize of $500 is being awarded to the winning schools’ counseling departments.

Congratulations to our winners for this year, and look for the challenge to start again on October 1, 2022.

• Dragon Level – Ten Sleep K-12 in Ten Sleep with 80% completion.
• Buffalo Level – Southeast High School in Yoder with 84.6% completion.
• Rocket Level – Mountain View High School in Mountain View with 75% completion.
• Space Level – Lander Valley High School in Lander with 59.3% completion.

Teacher Apprenticeship

On another note, the CCSSO conference last weekend in Washington, D.C. was a very encouraging experience, hearing so many exciting “wins” from other State Chiefs. The big one for me came from Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn of Tennessee and the Teacher Apprenticeship program that was pioneered there.

In response to the teacher shortage crisis, suffering 1,000-1,200 teacher vacancies each year, the Tennessee Department of Education targeted para-professionals, support staff and TAP students. Academic coursework via evening classes (all paid for) coupled with paid on-the-job training as an instructional aide (under a mentor/master teacher for two years), teacher apprentices would not only be compensated for skills gained, but could potentially receive raises incrementally.

With apprentice candidates able to earn a living wage (with no debt), and begin teaching with only two years of prior experience, this revolutionary paradigm shift not only answered the teacher shortage problem in Tennessee, but is now poised to do so in many other states across the country.

So as we begin talking with some of the key related stakeholders here in Wyoming, we will keep you posted on the prospects of bringing this teacher recruitment model (or some version thereof) to our state.

Memos to be released today: