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UW Madison Special Education Teacher Residency Program (TRP)

UW Madison Special Education Teacher Residency Program (TRP)

A partnership between University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education (RPSE) and Milwaukee Public Schools

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Milwaukee Public Schools logo

Program Team

Kimber Wilkerson, professor of Special Education and Faculty Director of the School of Education’s Teacher Education CenterDr. Kimber Wilkerson is a professor of Special Education in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She has broad expertise in the preparation of teachers to provide instruction to students with disabilities to improve their long-term outcomes. In addition to directing the TRP residency program with Dr. Trezek, and in collaboration with Milwaukee Public Schools, Dr. Wilkerson is currently examining the impact of virtual coaching and participation in communities of practice on the retention of early career special educators.

Dr. Wilkerson was interviewed in January 2024 by PBS NewsHour Weekend about the national shortage of special educators. Here is the segment link.

Beverly Trezek, Associate Professor, Tashia F. Morgridge Chair in ReadingDr. Beverly Trezek earned both her master’s (1997) and Ph.D. (2004) in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on literacy development, assessment, and instruction for beginning and struggling readers, with a particular emphasis on students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Before joining the faculty in 2019, Dr. Trezek was a Professor at DePaul University (2005-2019) and and an Assistant Visiting Professor at The Ohio State University (2004-2005). She was also a special education teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District for more than 10 years.

Michael Harris, Senior Director, Talent Management for Milwaukee Public SchoolsMichael Harris is an educational leader with over 25 years of experience in both urban and suburban school districts. He served as a middle school teacher and high school administrator. Currently, he serves in the role of Senior Director, Talent Management for Milwaukee Public Schools, where he has the privilege to staff over 158 schools. Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest urban school district in Wisconsin.

Rebekka Olsen, Program Manager for the UW-Madison Teacher Residency ProgramDr. Rebekka Olsen is the Program Manager for the UW-Madison Teacher Residency Program and Project Coordinator for Project ACRES. She has extensive experience leading organizational development and innovation projects. She specializes in wide-scale project leadership, implementation, and scale-up within diverse educational contexts.

Pa N. Xiong, Talent Management Specialist for Milwaukee Public SchoolsPa Xiong is a Milwaukee Public Schools alumna, beginning her career as a teacher in MPS in 2014 before transitioning to the realm of talent management. Driven by a desire to ensure that every student and school reaches their full potential, Pa now focuses on staffing the district with licensed and passionate individuals. She is excited to bring on new teacher residents through this partnership with UW-Madison and connect them with opportunities to make an impact in education.

Graduate Students/Other Support Team

Aloura Pearson, UW-Madison Doctoral Student, TRP Program Assistant

Tessa Neigum, UW-Madison Doctoral Student, TRP Program Assistant