Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The 1960s and 1970s was a time when people started questioning the norm in many areas. In Platteville, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville education students like Nancy Bradley, class of 1971, were fired up to change the look of the American education system. Working in education for the past 35 years, Bradley has not only witnessed the need for change, she has also helped with that movement of change.

Bradley has held multiple educational roles, including elementary school teacher, reading clinician and elementary principal. For the past 12 years, she has been director of staff development and school improvement in the Dubuque Community School District, and she has no plans of retiring yet. Bradley said, "What an exciting time to be working in education. I wouldn't miss it for the world." She explained that schools mirror society, and because society is changing, the schools have to change, too. She said, "Today's students need meaningful, real world application. They need to see how they will use what they are learning. It needs to be engaging, more 'hands-on'; we sometimes call it 'minds-on' - something that stretches the students' knowing, thinking and doing. What was done historically is not necessarily going to work for today's kids. Today, we're keeping the best of the old model but are reinventing the American education system." She added, "Education, today, is less about learning 'stuff' and more about learning to be a continuous learner, how to solve problems and how to work well together."

In staff development, Bradley figures out what the adults in the district need in order to provide more effective learning opportunities for students. She also works collaboratively with schools and their parents, teachers, community members and businesses to create a comprehensive improvement plan for each school. She constantly explores the questions, "Where are we going, and how are we going to get there?" and works to find the answers. Bradley furthered her education at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., where she earned a master's degree in education administration and curriculum and instruction. However, it is UWP that she credits for giving her the grounding to work from. "My roots are back at UWP," she said. "When I went to UW-Platteville, the professors worked to create graduates that were not locked into one way of doing things; they facilitated a love of learning, helped students believe in their own resources and encouraged them to go off to create the new look of American education. That frame of reference as an educator is still with me 35 years later. Now, I'm in a role whose work is centered on that. I will always be grateful for the education I received at UWP." Based on her experience at UWP, Bradley often tells high school students in her district about UWP. Now, the Tri-State Initiative (TSI) makes it even easier for those students to attend. The initiative enables Iowa and Illinois residents to attend UWP for select academic programs at a competitive price.

Referring to the TSI, Bradley remarked, "How exciting is that! I not only think the Tri-State Initiative is wonderful, but I think it should grow to include the master's program for teachers. I promote it to everyone I can in Dubuque. ... I think it's a compliment to the university. It's a sign that the university has the 'how can we be better than we are?' mindset." Bradley is a former member of the UWP Alumni Board of Directors. When she gets the chance to come back to campus, she enjoys seeing the new developments. Bradley is a current resident of Dubuque, Iowa.

Contact: Nancy Bradley, director of Staff Development and School Improvement, Dubuque Community School District, (563) 552-3077, nbradley@dubuque.k12.ia.us"

Prepared by: Kate McKinney, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,mckinnka@uwplatt.edu