Dr. Julie Underwood Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Funding for Teacher Quality Initiatives

CONTACT:
Jade Floyd,
amangino@aacte.org
or 202.478.4596

Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2007) On Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Dr. Julie Underwood, dean of the School of Education at The University of Wisconsin – Madison, will represent the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) as she testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Appropriation’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The public hearing will take place at 2 p.m. in 2359 Rayburn House Office Building.

Dr. Underwood will address the critical need for teachers prepared to generate high student achievement from the diverse learners in our classrooms. She will also discuss the federal role in strengthening and expanding partnerships between K-12 schools and higher education.

“Here in Washington, the rhetoric surrounding high-quality teachers has never been louder; the federal mandates regarding teacher quality have never been greater. Yet, year-after-year, the federal government makes less and less of an investment in preparing and retaining high-quality teachers. We are putting ourselves in an untenable position,” says Dean Underwood.

Underwood taught at Madison from 1986 to 1995 on the faculty of the Department of Educational Administration (now Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis). She has returned to Madison after serving as dean of Miami University’s School of Education and Allied Professions from 1995 to 1998 and as associate executive director and general counsel for the National School Boards Association in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2005.

During her tenure as head of the School of Education, U.S. News and World Report ranked the School of Education ninth nationally among graduate schools and colleges of education; and six of the School’s graduate programs were rated among the top three in their fields nationally, with Curriculum and Instruction ranked #1 in the nation.

Dr. Sharon Robinson, president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, will accompany Dr. Underwood to this public hearing, which is viewable online at http://appropriations.house.gov/

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Jade Floyd at jfloyd@aacte.org or by phone at 202.478.4596.