Celebrating Growth
The calendar year is starting to wind down as many schools head towards the end of the first semester. Here in Wisconsin, the leaves have changed, transforming trees into glorious russets, goldens and ambers. As the colorful foliage signals the impending winter and farmers harvest the season’s crops, it’s also a time to reflect and celebrate growth since the summer.
Likewise, in many schools around the world, teachers and students recognize how far we’ve come since the beginning of the school year. Students have grown and programs have improved. Teachers often look back at the students they welcomed in August and marvel at what they can do. Co-teaching relationships have gotten a little stronger, and parents are familiar.
As we look towards the end of the year we also celebrate growth in the WIDA International School Consortium:
- We are grateful for the 75 new schools that have joined our global community over the past six months.
- We have received positive feedback about the redesigned WIDA website and the new eLearning resources for member schools on the International Secure Portal.
- We have assembled a team of talented graduate students who are working on Research Requests from international educators, using professional literature to bridge theory and practice.
- We continue to learn from the international community through our ongoing research projects, and have added a OneQuestion Survey to the newsletter to help educators learn from each other.
As we look ahead to the first snowfall, we send our warm greetings to WIDA friends around the world.
Jon Nordmeyer, International Programs Director
