Bestselling authors Susan and James Patterson gave $5M to UW. Here's why, and what the money will go toward.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will be able to continue its efforts to combat the teacher storage in Wisconsin thanks to a generous donation.

In fall 2020, the UW-Madison School of Education started its Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program, which pays the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing and licensing costs for students studying to become teachers. In exchange, graduates “pledge” to teach for three to four years at a pre-K through 12th-grade school in Wisconsin.

Because of a $5 million gift from authors Susan and James Patterson, the donor-funded program will be extended another few years, according to a news release from the university.

School of Education Dean Diana Hess told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that the gift from the Pattersons is “significant.”

“It will cause literally hundreds of students who want to be teachers to get support that they otherwise wouldn’t get,” she said.

Since the Teacher Pledge program started, it has raised $26 million.

Here’s a closer look at the Teacher Pledge and what this new donation means for its future.

More:Five things to know about the teacher shortage in Wisconsin

What's the connection between the Pattersons and UW?

A bestselling co-author of children’s books, Susan Patterson is an alumna of the School of Education, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees with the Art Department. James is not only one of the world’s bestselling authors, but according to the news release, describes himself as an honorary Badger.

The couple not only shares an interest in reading and writing books, but they also both care about supporting education.

What will the donation from the Pattersons do for the program?

Their donation will ensure the program can continue through the 2026-27 school year and support the goal of making the program available through the 2027-28 school year.

“Teachers have never been more important than they are right now in America,” Susan Patterson said in the release. “My mother was a professor of nursing at Wisconsin and Jim’s mom was a middle school teacher. We’re proud to help support this amazing Teacher Pledge program.”

Has the program helped the teaching workforce in Wisconsin so far?

So far, Teacher Pledge is exceeding expectations, Hess said.

More than 550 Wisconsin teacher education students have taken the pledge since the program started, according to information shared by UW-Madison in the news release. And more than 200 of them are currently teaching in 65 public school districts and 11 private schools throughout the state.

How does Teacher Pledge combat Wisconsin's teacher shortage?

School districts statewide have found it difficult to fill open positions over the past few years. A recent report from the state Department of Public Instruction shows fewer people are studying to become teachers compared to 2008, and many of them are leaving within the first five years of their career.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum released a report this month showing a spike in emergency teacher licenses. From 2012-13 to 2021-22, emergency licenses almost tripled, from 1,125 to nearly 3,200.

“The teacher shortage is a real problem and a significant one — especially in rural areas and in particular subject areas, like special education and STEM fields,” Hess said in the release. “There is no simple fix, but we think our Teacher Pledge holds the potential to inspire more people to enter the profession, to keep them teaching longer and to help deliver some solutions.”

UW–Madison Professor Nick Hillman is leading research on how well the Teacher Pledge program is working to address potential causes of the teacher shortage. Hess said she hopes the research will show whether programs like Teacher Pledge can be a model for addressing the problem.

And while she's grateful for private donations, Hess said eventually solving the teacher shortage long term is the responsibility of the state, not private donors.

Teacher Pledge provides 'financial cushion'

An example of someone who has benefited from Teacher Pledge is Maddy Rauls, who teaches fourth grade at Arboretum Elementary in Waunakee.

She graduated from UW-Madison in spring 2021 with a degree in elementary education. Rauls knew for most of her life that she wanted to be a teacher, so when she was asked about participating in the Teacher Pledge program her senior year, she said it was a “no-brainer.”

While the financial compensation isn’t normally what draws people to teaching, Rauls said, participating in Teacher Pledge gave her a financial cushion for her senior year and first few years in the classroom.

Having expenses covered her senior year was especially helpful since she was student teaching, making it hard to fit in another paying job.

Hess echoed this benefit of relieving financial stress for students even before they graduate. When the program was designed, she said, the intention was to lower financial stress after graduation, but students are feeling the benefits of having tuition paid for even before they finish school.

“I’m excited for the students that will get the opportunity to access and use the Teacher Pledge in the future,” Rauls said.

More:Concordia University Wisconsin closed its Appleton, Madison and Milwaukee centers. Here's why.

Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Susan and James Patterson donate $5M to UW-Madison School of Education