Mission Statement: To provide high-quality clinical experiences in diverse, urban communities that support 51猎奇 teacher candidates鈥� learning, children鈥檚 growth and learning, professional development of educators, research opportunities and promote excellence, equity and diversity.
The Office of Clinical Experiences is responsible for arranging over 1,100 high-quality clinical experiences and student teaching placements each year. To support these placement efforts we:
- Collaborate with SOE faculty.
- Establish and maintain partnerships with urban school districts and social agencies.
- Maintain contact with school-based educators.
- Consult with academic advising staff.
- Provide resources and training for cooperating teachers and university supervisors.
- Conduct orientations for Introduction to Teaching classes.
- Conduct teacher candidate orientations.
Contact Us
- Director and Certification Officer, Office of Clinical Experiences
- peters19@uwm.edu
- Enderis Hall 369
- Clinical Experience Coordinator, Office of Clinical Experiences
- bierce@uwm.edu
- Enderis Hall 367
- Data and Communications Specialist, Office of Clinical Experiences
- andersoc@uwm.edu
- Enderis Hall 371
- Clinical Experience and WIP Coordinator, Office of Clinical Experiences
- rice34@uwm.edu
- Enderis Hall 365
Clinical Experiences in Urban Schools: UW-Milwaukee
The 51猎奇 School of Education (SOE) is proud to collaborate with urban school districts in southeastern Wisconsin. We take our urban mission seriously and expect that teacher candidates choose our programs because they desire to learn to teach in a diverse urban context.
As a teacher candidate you will have several cumulative clinical experiences in urban schools. These experiences provide 鈥渞eal-world鈥� opportunities to learn how schools work, practice best teaching strategies and form professional relationships with young learners as well as experienced educators. You will also participate in a variety of courses and urban clinical experiences designed to promote your ability to effectively observe, reflect, plan, instruct and assess with individuals, small groups, and whole classrooms. Descriptions and links follow that provide more detail regarding specific teacher education programs.
Teacher Education Courses, Clinical Experiences and Program Descriptions
Criminal Background Check Requirements
If you are seeking a PLACEMENT, either arranged by 51猎奇 or as an on-the-job student, you need to complete the APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN A CLINICAL EDUCATION, STUDENT TEACHING OR FIELD PLACEMENT PROGRAM from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The MPS background check application is used for all placement-related purposes, regardless of district or school of placement.
Office of Clinical Experiences 鈥� Documents Required for Placement
Every teacher candidate must have on record a Criminal Background Check and Negative Tuberculosis Test Result before participating in a clinical experience.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK ACTION ITEMS:
- Complete, sign and date the .
- Send completed application as a pdf attachment to clinical-ex@uwm.edu.
- Pay $25 application fee through VBO Tickets. (Students in TCH LRN 209 and Currins 300 do not need to pay the $25 fee through VBO Tickets. You will be billed by way of your Tuition and Fees statement.)
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- Send as a legible pdf attachment- no photos please!
- We accept only email submissions- paperwork will not be accepted through US Mail or dropped off at campus.
- Good for one year- the expiration date cannot be during placement.
- CBC applications can take up to 30 days to clear.
The Criminal Background Check application for all placement-related purposes is found here:
A few days after submitting your paperwork, you may check the status of any submitted item by viewing your 鈥楾o Do List鈥� in PAWS.
Just a reminder鈥� The Criminal Background Check application fee of twenty- five dollars must be paid before we can process your application. Paying the application fee and submitting the completed application to the Office of Clinical Experiences are two separate processes. To pay this fee via credit or debit card, visit
Students in CURRINS 300 and TCH LRN 209 DO NOT pay this fee via University Tickets. If you are in one of these courses, you will be billed for this fee by way of your Tuition and Fees statement.
If you have any questions, email us from your 51猎奇 or university email account at clinical-ex@uwm.edu. This will ensure that we are communicating with the appropriate person and it will allow our office to serve you better.
Tuberculosis Skin Test (TB Test)
We accept only scanned and emailed submissions of paperwork. Paperwork will not be processed if it is mailed to or dropped off at campus.
A TB test can be obtained through your health care provider, through national pharmacies such as CVS or Walgreens, or on campus through the Student Health and Wellness Center (formerly Norris Health Center). To make an appointment at the Student Health and Wellness Center, call 414-229-4716.
Office of Clinical Experiences 鈥� Documents Required for Placement
Every teacher candidate must have on record a Criminal Background Check and Negative Tuberculosis Test Result before participating in a clinical experience.
TB TEST RESULT ACTION ITEMS:
- Obtain a TB test.
- Obtain documentation of negative test result.
- Send the test result as a pdf attachment to clinical-ex@uwm.edu.
WHERE TO GET TESTED:
- Your health care provider
- Student Health and Wellness Center
- Any national pharmacy (for example: CVS, Walgreens)
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- Results must include your name, the clinic name, the result of the test and the date of the result.
- Send as a legible pdf attachment- no photos please!
- We accept only email submissions. Paperwork sent through the US mail or dropped off on campus will not be accepted.
- Good for two years- the expiration date cannot be during placement.
** If you are planning to complete your placement while on-the-job, let us know immediately as our office will need a completed on-the-job verification form instead of a TB test result.
Be sure to keep a copy of any TB test result that you provide to our office. We cannot provide duplicate documentation to you later. Once you have your TB test result, email a legible scan (no photos please) to clinical-ex@uwm.edu.
A few days after submitting your paperwork, you may check the status of any submitted item by viewing your 鈥楾o Do List鈥� in PAWS.
If you have any questions, email us from your 51猎奇 or university email account at clinical-ex@uwm.edu. This will ensure that we are communicating with the appropriate person and it will allow our office to serve you better.
Clinical Experiences Handbook
For Teacher Candidates, Cooperating Teacher and Supervisors
The 51猎奇 School of Education Clinical Experience Handbook describes all roles, expectations, and policies pertinent to teacher candidates, cooperating teacher and supervisors. The information contained in this handbook is under continuous revision and should be considered supplemental to more specific guidelines established by individual programs. Policies and procedures specific to individual programs are available in the Departments of Teaching and Learning and Exceptional Education, as well as in the Office of Academic Services.
(docx)
Student Teaching Application 2026-2027
February 6, 2026 Deadline
Students wishing to student teach in Fall 2026 in the following programs:
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Elementary and Middle Education K-9 students in Professional Semester 3 –Spring 2026
- Exceptional Education
- Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education Program
- World Languages
April 24, 2026 Deadline
Students wishing to student teach in Spring 2027 in the following programs:
- Broad Field Social Studies (4-12)
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Elementary and Middle Education K-9 students in Professional Semester 2 — Spring 2026
- English 鈥� Advanced Fieldwork/Student Teaching
- Exceptional Education
- Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education Program
- Mathematics
- Science
- World Languages
To apply, please fill out the form.
Cooperating Teacher 鈥淪ign-Up鈥� Process
Do you want to become a Cooperating Teacher? The 51猎奇 Office of Clinical Experiences is always interested in working with great classroom teachers who are willing to become teacher leaders and provide high-quality clinical experiences for 51猎奇 teacher candidates.
REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A COOPERATING TEACHER
Those wanting to become cooperating teachers are required to complete the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Verification Process effective July, 1997 (PI3.26). Cooperating teachers utilized by colleges and universities in Wisconsin must:
- Hold a regular DPI issued Wisconsin license or its equivalent for the teaching assignment.
- Have at least three years of teaching experience with at least one year of experience in the school system of current employment, and
- Have completed training in the supervision of clinical students.
51猎奇 offers a self-paced Canvas course titled 鈥淐ooperating Teacher Verification Workshop 鈥� Hosting a Teacher Candidate.鈥� This course will satisfy the DPI requirement of having completed training in the supervision of clinical students. You will need to create an account and indicate that you are a 51猎奇 Continuing Education Student. Upon completion you will receive an email with a certificate of completion for your record. You can begin here:
PROCESS FOR BECOMING A COOPERATING TEACHER
Potential cooperating teachers should express interest in being a cooperating teacher to their administrator. Building principals or designees nominate teachers to be cooperating teachers, considering the characteristics of effective cooperating teachers. Every semester, the 51猎奇 Clinical Experience Coordinator, in collaboration with school district administrative personnel, sends schools requests for cooperating teachers. Once these are returned, the Clinical Experience Coordinator collaborates with Program Directors to make assignments. If teachers are not contacted but would like to host 51猎奇 students, they are encouraged to contact the Office of Clinical Experiences at clinical-ex@uwm.edu. The Clinical Experience Coordinator will work with the local district and school administrative staff to approve the request.
Needs in terms of grade level, content area, and school locations change from semester to semester. Therefore, 51猎奇 cannot guarantee that a 51猎奇 student will be assigned to a particular school and/or classroom. The 51猎奇 Clinical Experience Coordinator will make every attempt to collaborate with all parties concerned to identify and obtain high-quality clinical placements. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee policy dictates that requests for particular 51猎奇 teacher candidates cannot be honored.
COOPERATING TEACHER GUIDELINES
Specific responsibilities differ across programs and the various clinical experiences, however the following guidelines are suggested:
Orienting Teacher Candidates into the School and Welcoming them into the Profession
- Invite the 51猎奇 teacher candidates to spend a day at the school prior to their clinical experience. This may help to reduce many anxieties of the teacher candidates and provide an opportunity to become familiar with the school and its resources.
- Acquaint 51猎奇 teacher candidates with the school.
- Introduce them to the students, principal, teachers, school secretaries, counselor, librarian, educational assistants, and other school support personnel.
- Take them to places like the media center, supply rooms, storage areas, conference rooms, auditorium, lunchroom, teachers鈥� lounge, and restrooms; give a quick overview of location of audiovisual equipment, duplicating equipment, classroom supplies, instructional materials, and files.聽
- Provide a copy of school district and classroom polices.
- Explain emergency procedures such as fire and tornado drills.
Provide an overview of academic expectations, the curriculum and assessment. Some experienced cooperating teachers actually write a 鈥淟etter of Expectation鈥� and have the teacher candidate sign it.聽 Expectations for all 51猎奇 teacher candidates might include but are not limited to:聽
- School hours and attendance
- Discipline policies
- Classroom management expectations
- Materials and bulletin boards
- Homework assignments
- Responsibilities outside the classroom
- Opportunities for feedback
- Reporting absences
SUPPORTING A TEACHER CANDIDATE鈥橲 DEVELOPMENT
- Become familiar with the 51猎奇 teacher candidate assessment.
- Provide a plan for increased instructional responsibilities. There is not a prescribed format or schedule for every teacher candidate. Typically, a teacher will begin with one small group of students or subject and add additional responsibilities in a timely fashion. The 51猎奇 supervisor can provide specific examples and suggestions if the cooperating teacher wants assistance in creating a timeline of responsibilities.
- Allow the teacher candidate time to manage the classroom without your presence; however, teachers must be in the building. It is highly suggested that in order to ensure optimal student learning that the cooperating teacher remains fully engaged in planning, instruction and management even when the teacher candidate assumes full responsibility.
- Provide the teacher candidate experience in: a) parent conferences, b) fieldtrips, c) extracurricular activities, and d) school reports and records.
- Set aside a regular time to provide feedback. Some cooperating teachers like to provide feedback in writing as a shared dialogue journal, others conference at the end of each day, and others at a specified time during the day or week. The cooperating teacher鈥檚 style and comfort level will determine the specifics; the concern is that regular feedback is provided.
- Meet jointly with the supervisor and the teacher candidate (as time allows) for feedback.
If concerns persist about a teacher candidate鈥檚 performance, the cooperating teacher should contact the university supervisor as soon as possible. There is no need to wait until the supervisor鈥檚 next visit if something warrants an immediate discussion. If there is an issue the cooperating teacher wishes to discuss with someone other than the student teaching supervisor, please contact the Office of Clinical Experiences and they will communicate the concern to the appropriate program personnel in a timely manner. 414-229-7327 or clinicalex@uwm.edu
DPI requires host teachers to complete a supervision training prior to hosting teacher candidates. Please complete the self-paced Canvas course, Cooperating Teacher Verification Workshop-Hosting a Teacher Candidate. Your school and/or district may have other requirements to be completed before you are approved to host.
This workshop will satisfy the DPI requirement of having completed training in the supervision of clinical students. You will need to create an account and indicate that you are a 51猎奇 Continuing Education Student. Upon completion you will receive an email with a certificate of completion for your record. You can begin here: .
WIP Intern Fee Payment
The WIP Intern Fee is $207.00. If you have been approved, placed and started working in a WIP intern clinical placement, this fee must be paid. The fee covers the additional cost incurred by 51猎奇 School of Education to participate in the WIP Intern program. Collecting this fee directly from participants allows us to participate in and offer paid internships instead of standard student teaching placements.
Pay online using credit/debit card by visiting