With the mission of the Commission on Lutheran Schools (CLS) being to provide resources for strengthening the 500 WELS early childhood centers, elementary schools, and high schools, it's no wonder the commission is setting its sights on helping what CLS director Greg Schmill calls one of the main resources in WELS schools—its teachers and leaders.

Strengthening Educators in Ministry (STEM) is the name of the commission's 10-year initiative to use mentors and training opportunities to enhance instruction, learning, and leadership in WELS schools.

Part of this initiative is to help teachers examine their skills and determine what they can do to build on the quality instruction that WELS schools provide. While this is not a new concept—evaluation processes have been around for decades in WELS—the difference is that STEM has established WELS Teaching Standards, which define the characteristics of good teaching, as well as a continuum to help teachers rate themselves against these standards. The goals of STEM are to train teachers and school leaders to use the standards and the continuum effectively as well as to encourage educators to have a professional development plan that will guide them as they work to strengthen their skills.

"We have thousands of veteran teachers at all stages of development," says Schmill. "We want to help them wherever they're at to enhance their teaching skills."

Besides helping veteran teachers, STEM is focusing on meeting the unique needs of two other groups of educators—new teachers and school leaders.

According to Schmill, new teachers often feel overwhelmed and isolated. "They desire mentoring and training to continue to develop fully the gifts that God has given them and that they are using daily in their teaching ministry," he says.

To assist with this training, the commission has joined the Southeast Wisconsin New Teacher Project consortium, which offers seminars to help beginning teachers develop and enhance their skills. The consortium not only works with new teachers but also trains mentors to offer support and encouragement. For the 2010-11 school year, 41 new teachers—mainly in Southeastern Wisconsin—are involved in the program and are being formally mentored by 16 veteran teachers. These mentors and teachers will work together extensively for at least two years. The commission is also field testing long distance mentoring, with a new teacher in the South Central District and her mentor in the Northern Wisconsin District participating via Skype.