Dr. Heidi A. Schmidt

Dr. Heidi Schmidt is a Professor in the College of Education. The majority of her career was spent in K-12 education as a teacher, principal and district administrator. In addition, she has a decade of university teaching at the master’s and doctoral levels. Recently Dr. Schmidt’s research and endeavors have focused on K-12 school based mental health. She has presented at state and national conferences on the three-tiered program that was recognized at the state level in Wisconsin with an emphasis on student and staff education, intervention and prevention. Dr. Schmidt continues to provide guidance on mental health programs to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Other initiatives under her leadership as a District Administrator included standards based skills and the professional learning communities philosophy.

Dr. Schmidt introduced the professional learning community (PLC) philosophy to a Wisconsin district eight years ago. The district progressed to a dedicated PLC time, established team norms, and followed the DuFour process related to student learning opportunities. Her focus continued to be on students and providing staff professional learning opportunities to meet the changing needs of students. Dr. Schmidt was involved in the formation of standards-based skills at each grade level and for each subject area. Formative assessment and the use of daily learning targets were part of the process.

Prior to her retirement as a K-12 District Administrator, Dr. Schmidt's research focused on K-12 school based mental health programs. The school district that she led implemented a three-tiered program with an emphasis on student and staff education, intervention and prevention. This program was recognized at the state level in Wisconsin by Dr. Tony Evers, State Superintendent in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Currently, Dr. Schmidt facilitates masters level courses in the education program at Trident. She follows a servant leadership model and believes in giving back to her students and staff.

Dr. Schmidt is licensed as a District Administrator/Superintendent, Director of Instruction, Principal and Teacher in the state of Wisconsin. She is also licensed as an administrator in the states of Illinois and Alabama.

Programs

• Master of Arts in Education

Publications

• Strength and Resiliency: The Hortonville School District's Journey to Mental Wellness.

Areas of Expertise

Dr. Schmidt’s areas of expertise include:

• Transformational leadership
• Standards-based learning
• The professional learning community process
• K-12 school based mental health

Education History

• Ph.D. Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis - UW Madison
• M.A. Department of Educational Administration Minor: Curriculum & Instruction - UW Madison
• B.A. in Elementary Education: Reading & Language Arts - UW Platteville