Driftless Region

Our Driftless Region Hub is anchored by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s School of Education.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a national leader in training the next generation of rural teacher-leaders in place-based education, sustainability, community engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Tim Buttles at The School of Education at University of Wisconsin-Platteville heads up the Driftless Region Hub.


The successful preparation of future educators has been a longstanding strength of our Driftless Hub partners at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville School of Education. The university graduates an average of 120 students per year in education, with 80 percent of the graduates teaching in rural communities. Recently, the faculty launched a new rural-focused K-through-9 licensure program.

At the Platteville School of Education, curriculum reflects an integrated, place-based, and rural-centric approach. Rural Schools Collaborative was pleased to support a portion of this work through the 2021 Catalyst Initiative, which awarded a $25,000 planning grant to support UWP’s rural teacher preparation efforts. The UWP team aspires to create excellent, rural-ready leaders who go out into the field of education become rural teachers and community leaders.

With a particular emphasis on place-based practices, professional flexibility, equity and inclusivity, and social justice, graduates of this program critically engaged on the realities of living and teaching in a rural area. This includes a curriculum designed to create asset-based thinking, countering negative stereotypes of small towns, and recently the intentional recruitment of spanish-speaking teaching candidates. Learn more about teachers, students, and schools of the Driftless Area below:

Spotlight

GROW Cooperative Administrators.

Creating a ‘Grow Your Own’ Consortium in Rural Wisconsin

A local principal has activated an organic Grow Your Own educator preparation pipeline consortium that aims to recruit and prepare individuals, starting from high school students all the way through career changers, to work as educators in their local communities.

Rural schools face significant challenges in hiring and retaining teachers, but Wisconsin Heights Principal Liz Dostal is leading an innovative solution. Through the GROW Cooperative, four rural Wisconsin school districts—Wisconsin Heights, Lodi, Cambridge, and Sauk Prairie—are investing in their own future educators. By offering college credits, mentorship, scholarships, and career pathways, the program helps students and career changers become teachers within their home communities. With early success stories and sustainable funding, GROW is creating a long-term pipeline of dedicated rural educators. Read more about how this initiative is strengthening rural schools!

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