If I were to ask you to imagine our School of Education's activities in Madison-area schools, you might think of:

• a student teacher, experiencing his or her introduction to the profession;
• a team of researchers, observing and analyzing classroom practices;
• a professor or staff member serving on a curriculum advisory committee.

Of course, members of the School of Education engage in activities like these every day. However, in addition to these expected functions, our faculty, staff and students have developed numerous projects to improve students' learning and to assist teachers and administrators in Madison-area schools.

We are proud of our formal training, research and public service efforts in the Madison area, efforts which continue to grow in breadth, depth and integration. We are equally proud of the many School of Education faculty, staff and students who have, on their own initiative, created grassroots programs in partnership with Madison-area school staff.

School of Education partnerships with local schools evolve continually, in response to changing needs. Today they include:

• Programs to promote precollege students' learning, such as Upward Bound, which each year enrolls 65 minority high school students for intensive daily tutoring;
• Initiatives in teacher training, such as the Grow Your Own Program, which began in 1994 and has enabled more than 20 minority non-teaching personnel from the Madison Metropolitan School District to enroll at the UW-Madison in teacher preparation programs;
• Professional development opportunities offered by our Office of Education Outreach, which provide continuing educational opportunities for more than 1,000 children and 3,500 adults annually.

Such programs have been developed to meet the specific needs of students and staff in Madison-area schools, and they have blossomed in the broad areas where interests and expertise at the university intersect with those in our schools. As a result, these grassroots programs are notable for energy and excitement.

What follows is a representative summary of such university-school partnerships in the greater Madison area. Although these programs will evolve, one characteristic will endure: School of Education faculty, staff and students will continue to work side-by-side with their partners in the schools to improve learning.