New Preparation Program Supports Aspiring School Leaders

Twenty teachers and staff members from the Madison Metropolitan School District have been selected to join a new leadership preparation program with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, thanks to funding from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) Fast Forward Industry Sectors Worker Training grant program.

This new initiative, called the District Leadership Preparation Pipeline (DLPP) program, leverages the School of Education’s highly regarded 14-month principal preparation curriculum. At the completion of the program in August 2025, these school employees will be prepared to be highly effective school leaders.

The DLPP program brings together an urban, suburban, and rural school district in south central Wisconsin. 
Each district has selected talented educators to participate in the program who are committed to making a difference in the communities they serve and demonstrate potential to advance into school leadership roles. Twenty-five individuals will form the first DLPP cohort, including 20 from MMSD, three from Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, and two from Lake Mills Area School District. They will begin their coursework at UW–Madison in June. 

“This exciting new collaboration…will ensure that 25 excellent staff in those districts go through our rigorous graduate program that will prepare them to take on a variety of school-based leadership roles, most notably principals,” said former School of Education Dean, Diana Hess. “Ensuring that all schools have excellent school-based leaders is absolutely essential and I know this new collaboration will have lasting impact.”

Over 14 months, members of the cohort will continue to work full-time in their current roles while taking courses at times that accommodate their schedules — during the summers, and evenings/weekends during the school year. At the end of the program, they will earn a master’s degree in K-12 leadership and become eligible to apply for a Wisconsin principal license. Their districts then commit to promoting them into school-based leadership roles beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

“Principals are an invaluable part of our commitment to providing every student in our district the best educational experience possible,” said Carlettra Stanford, MMSD’s assistant superintendent of school leadership. “They set the tone across all of our schools, creating warm, welcoming environments that promote teaching, learning, and community-building. We are proud to be a part of the DLPP initiative, and look forward to welcoming members of its initial cohort to leadership positions in the near future.”

MMSD DLPP participants were selected through a rigorous application and interview process, following similar interview processes the district uses for hiring principals and assistant principals. The DLPP interview process consisted of an individual activity, a panel interview process and a writing process/sample. In addition to the MMSD processes, DLPP candidates had to apply and be accepted to the UW-Madison Graduate School.

Dr. Jen Schoepke, Director of Special Projects at MMSD and UW-Madison School of Education, serves as the coordinator for the DLPP program. She wrote the DWD grant that forms the basis of funding for the DLPP program. In the coordinator role, Dr. Schoepke supports alignment and logistics of all stakeholders across the three school districts, the School of Education and the DWD.

“I am excited for the DLPP program, as it represents the continuation of our commitment to lifelong learning and development of our district staff, who are committed members of our community,” Dr. Schoepke said. “In addition, the DLPP provides us the opportunity to continue to diversity and deepen the leaders of our schools, growing staff who some have been students in the very buildings where they will serve as leaders.”

For many educators, pursuing a principal preparation master’s degree program can seem out of reach due to tuition costs and the lack of free time in an already busy work schedule. To help ensure DLPP cohort members do not encounter financial barriers to advancing their education, tuition, along with costs for books and supplies, will be fully covered. About half of the funding for each participant will be provided by the DWD grant, and the remaining costs will be split between scholarships from the School of Education and each participant’s school district. 

This comprehensive support will help ensure that pursuing further education is attainable for all educators within the participating districts who show potential to advance into school leadership roles. It also underscores the commitment among the partners to developing strong, effective school leaders who can work to foster educational excellence and equity in Wisconsin schools. 

"Good principals and school leaders truly benefit teachers, staff and the education students receive," DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek said.

Research shows that school leaders have a significant impact on teaching and learning outcomes in schools. Recognizing this, the DLPP program is designed to address the multifaceted responsibilities that principals and other school leaders shoulder, including mentoring teachers, engaging with the community, and supporting the social and emotional needs of students and families.

The 20 staff from MMSD participating in the program include:

• Beth Atwell, Randall Elementary Instructional Coach    
• Nathan Brelsford, Sherman Middle CC Teacher    
• Jon-Luc Cayabyab, Cherokee Middle 8th grade science teacher    
• Marques Flowers, Memorial High School, Dean of Students/PBS Coach    
• Ola Gawlik, East High School, MTSS and ACP Coordinator    
• Kirsten Gyorkos, Van Hise Elementary CC Teacher    
• Justine Hollander, Whitehorse Middle AVID Teacher
• Ben Kaker, Crestwood Elementary, 3rd Grade teacher    
• Laura Kalscheur, Cherokee Middle PBS Coach    
• Darlinne Kambwa, Southside/Central Office PST and Mentor    
• Becky Lemke, Midvale Elementary PBS Coach    
• Dawn Liska-Tollefson, Hamilton Middle Dean of Students    
• Anna Moritz, high school PST
• Amber Pardo, La Follette High School PBS Coach    
• Kara Purviance, Cherokee Middle Instructional Coach    
• Ebony Rose, Black Hawk Middle, School Engagement Coordinator    
• Bobbi Simpson, Gompers Elementary CC Teacher    
• Andre Small, East High School, Business Education Teacher    
• Rachelle Stone, Leopold Elementary Instructional Coach    
• Jen Vena Levesque, Gillespie Middle 7th grade social studies teacher

Related from the Wisconsin State Journal: New collaboration with UW-Madison lets 3 Wisconsin school districts grow their own principals -- read more.