Purpose
STAIRS-WI is a statewide initiative designed to address Wisconsin’s critical shortage of special education teachers by expanding Registered Teacher Apprenticeship pathways and strengthening induction and retention supports. Through partnerships among state agencies, educator preparation programs, CESAs, professional organizations, and LEAs, the project will recruit, prepare, support, and retain special educators using earn-and-learn apprenticeship models, mentoring, coaching, and evidence-based professional development. Expected outcomes include increased numbers of certified special education teachers, improved teacher retention, strengthened local capacity to implement evidence-based practices, and improved educational outcomes for students with disabilities.
STAIRS-WI will be implemented through a statewide partnership led by DPI to expand Registered Teacher Apprenticeship pathways and strengthen induction supports for special education teachers. The project will provide competency-based preparation, mentoring, coaching, professional learning, and evidence-based practice supports for apprentices and novice educators. Project management will include coordinated oversight, partner engagement, and continuous improvement processes. Evaluation will examine implementation fidelity, apprenticeship enrollment and completion, teacher certification, retention, educator competency, and student outcomes. Findings will inform ongoing refinement, scalability, and sustainability of statewide recruitment and retention systems for special education teachers.
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