Wisconsin Spotlight Schools Grant Program

Frequently Asked Questions

How were Spotlight Schools selected?
To be eligible to apply, schools must have received the School of Recognition award for the last three or more consecutive years. Grantees were selected using a highly rigorous scoring rubric and a panel of external as well as internal reviewers.

What does the term “spotlight” mean?
The spotlight areas are based on criteria from the following resources: Characteristics of Successful Schools, Characteristics of Successful Districts, Title I Schoolwide requirements, 21st Century Skills, and the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program.

The six spotlight areas are:

Teaching and Learning
Vision
Leadership and Governance
Decision-Making and Accountability
Professional Development and Teacher Quality
Family, School, and Community Partnerships

Each grantee was required to highlight their practices in Teaching and Learning and one other spotlight area.

What is the purpose of the Spotlight Schools program
The Spotlight Schools Program provides funding for selected schools to build capacity to continue best practices and to share those best practices with schools throughout the state through various networking and school visiting opportunities. Spotlight Schools are to use grant funds to fund the following activities: 1) host at least three school visits to share spotlighted practices; 2) share spotlighted practices regionally and statewide through conferences, workshops, meetings, and other appropriate venues; and 3) provide additional support to school improvement activities.

How can I learn more about each Spotlight School’s spotlighted practices?
General summaries of each school’s spotlighted practices are available here. Visiting schools are expected to work with Spotlight Schools to customize school visits to meet staff needs.

Whom do I contact if I want to visit a Spotlight School?
Schools and staff interested in visiting a Spotlight School should contact the school directly. School contact information is located here.

What is the cost to schools who would like to visit Spotlight Schools?
Schools must host a minimum of three one-day school visits. School visits should be designed to share best practices with visiting schools related to the two Spotlight areas that the applicant school highlighted in its application. Schools will receive more guidance about designing school visits at the required Fall Networking Meeting.

Will there be new Spotlight Schools for the 2012-13 school year?
In order to build on the success of the Spotlight Schools program, two opportunities will be available to schools for the 2012-13 school year. Current Spotlight Schools may be eligible to apply for a Continuation Grant, while other schools may be eligible to apply for a New Spotlight Schools Grant. Visit the Spotlight Schools Homepage for more details, eligibility requirements, and application materials.

For questions about this information, contact Laura Adams (608) 266-4499, or Beth McClure (608) 261-6324.

Last updated on 3/28/2012 5:06:48 PM