Biography of Elizabeth Burmaster

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Elizabeth Burmaster was elected to the nonpartisan constitutional office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction in April 2001, with 60 percent of Wisconsin’s statewide vote. She was re-elected in April 2005 to a second term with 62 percent of Wisconsin’s statewide vote.

Superintendent Burmaster earned bachelor's and master's degrees from UW-Madison and is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Beloit College and Edgewood College. She worked in education for 25 years as a public school teacher and principal prior to her election. She is married to John Burmaster, principal at Jefferson Middle School in Madison. They have three children, who have attended public schools, and one grandson.

Superintendent Burmaster came to the office of state superintendent straight out of the schools. As a third-generation Wisconsin teacher, she has experience as both a teacher and administrator at every level: elementary, middle, and high school. She taught music in Madison elementary and middle schools before becoming choral and drama director at Madison East High School. She also served as Marquette Middle School assistant principal, Madison school district fine arts coordinator, and Hawthorne Elementary principal. Before being elected state superintendent, she served for nearly a decade as principal of Madison West High School.

As state superintendent, she serves on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, where she is a member of the Executive Committee and the Business, Finance, and Audit Committee. She also serves as a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, the Educational Communications Board (vice-chair), and the Governor's Council on Workforce Investment. In addition, Burmaster is an active member of the Wisconsin PK-16 Leadership Council and the Milwaukee Partnership Academy. At the national level, she is a past president of the Council of Chief State School Officers, and serves on their Board of Directors. Superintendent Burmaster also serves on the National Board of Advisors for Pre-K Now, a part of the Pew Charitable Trusts, and on the Education Commission of the States. Burmaster is also a board member and past chair of the National Center for Learning and Citizenship.

The focus of the Burmaster administration is on a New Wisconsin Promise to raise the achievement of all students and close the achievement gap between children of color, economically disadvantaged children, and their peers. Our New Wisconsin Promise agenda includes ensuring that every child in the state has the opportunity for a quality education by ensuring quality teachers in every classroom and strong leadership in every school; improving student achievement with a focus on reading that has all students reading at or above grade level; investing in early learning opportunities through the four-year-old kindergarten, and SAGE class-size reduction programs; sharing responsibility by increasing parental and community involvement in our schools and libraries to address teenage literacy, dropouts, and truancy; advancing career, technical, and arts education to engage students in becoming active citizens by understanding their role in the family, society, and the world of work; and providing effective pupil services, special education, and prevention programs to support learning and development for all students while preventing and reducing barriers to student success.

For questions about this information, contact Karen J. Nowakowski (608) 266-8687

Last updated on 11/14/2008 10:42:05 AM