Frequently Asked Questions

There were many great questions asked at the Focus Groups. Here are the answers to some of the questions which were asked.

When will the project begin?

  • Applications are available now, with Part 1 due on or before May 9 and Part 2 due before the end of the school year.
  • Teams will begin badge work in the Fall of 2016.

How can I apply to be part of this project?

  • You should be a high school teacher of mathematics or science in Milwaukee Public Schools.
  • Applications are available on the Project Application page.

How many teachers will be accepted?

  • Optimally, 25 teachers
  • Ideally we want 3-5 teachers from 5-8 different schools, with teachers from small schools working on a team together.

Can I apply if I am the only math or science teacher at my school?

  • Absolutely! Please complete both an Individual Application and a Small School Application. Teachers from multiple small schools will be matched to form a team.

Can I apply if I am the only math or science teacher interested at my school (which is not a small school)?

  • Yes, though priority will be given to teams.

Can I apply if I did not attend a Focus Group meeting?

  • Yes. If you missed the focus group meetings, you can view our slides here.

Does my master’s degree need to be in education?

  • No

What if I can’t complete all five years?

  • NSF requires that you repay the portion of the stipend that you’ve already received. We cannot be flexible with this requirement.

What if I change schools in those five years?

  • As long as you remain within MPS, this will not be a problem. If you choose to leave for another district, you may or may not be able to continue your participation.

What if I accept a leadership position within MPS in those five years?

  • We will try to work with you in your new position.

How will stipend be paid out?

  • The plan is to have thee stipend processed and paid through MPS payroll as a $10,000 add-on to the existing salary.

How much credit can I earn through this project?

  • We envision that each badge will be 1 credit. Teachers who choose to earn credit may use part of their stipend to pay for the credit.

Can the credits I earn be put together for another master’s degree?

  • The credits could be used for a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Degrees from other departments will depend on the requirements of the individual degree program.

Can credits be used for my five-year license renewal?

  • As long as DPI accepts them, yes.

Can the credits be used for an administrative license?

  • Administrative license requirements may be different from those of the badges.

Can I align my PDP, PPG, or SLO with the badges?

  • Yes.

Who will choose the badge topics?

  • The first three badges (Action Research, Tenets of Instructional Leadership, and Educational Research Consumer) will be common for everyone.
  • Subsequent badges will be chosen by teams or individuals depending on areas of interest or need for the school or subject.

How many badges will I work on each year?

  • Optimally, 4 per year per person.  You can work on more if time and opportunity arise.

How long will each badge take?

  • Each badge will take about one quarter of the school year.  We expect this to be about 10 hours of effort to learn about the topic or tool, design a related intervention in your classroom, use the intervention, and analyze and document the results.

If you’re working with people from the same school, will badges be individual or collaborative?

  • Some of it can be collaborative. Action research will come from data in your classroom, but it would be powerful to look at the effects of the same topic across several classrooms.

When will meetings be held?

  • The project team will work with teachers’ schedules.

How can I get more information? Or what if my question isn’t answered here?

This project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (awards 1540840 and 1557397) to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.  The content on this site does not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.