COE News and Highlights
 

Introducation of Mildred M. Winter By Dean Charles D. Schmitz

College of Education Commencement Ceremony
University of Missouri-St. Louis
May 11, 2008

I am delighted and honored to have nominated Mildred Winter for an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. And today, I am pleased to present her to you, Chancellor George, for the conferring of that degree. I can think of no one more deserving.

A native St. Louisian, Mildred Winter has been an educational innovator for more than a half-century, She has long been devoted to the adage: "Children are our future." First as a teacher and then as the driving force behind the now-international Parents as Teachers (PAT) program, Mildred has had a positive “jump-start” effect on millions of young lives in the USA and around the world.

The concept for Parents as Teachers was developed in the 1970s when Missouri educators noted that children were beginning kindergarten with varying levels of learning readiness. Research showed that greater family involvement in children's learning is a critical link in the child's development of academic skills, including reading and writing. Early childhood professionals suggested that a program to help parents understand their role in encouraging their child's development right from birth could help prepare children for school and life success. Such a program, available to all families, would help level the playing field for all children.

With funding from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and The Danforth Foundation, Parents as Teachers began in 1981 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis as a pilot project for first-time parents of newborns. Convinced of the program's benefits and cost effectiveness, state funding was provided in 1985 to implement the PAT program in all Missouri school districts. Since 1985, Parents as Teachers has expanded to all 50 states and to other countries.

Mildred served as the first director of early childhood education for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from 1972 to 1984. In that capacity, she initiated the PAT model project and served as its state director.

The PAT program, has received citations from former presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, from state governors and from numerous educational associations. She often is called upon for counsel by the U.S. departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
I am delighted to present Ms. Winter to you today. She is an educational legend who is most deserving of the Doctorate of Humane Letters. Thank you.