Who is NAREN Wisconsin? 

NAREN-WI was founded in 2002 under the guidance of Dr. Anthony Dallmann-Jones, Ph.D., Professor or Education at Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  Originally known as Narenwich, the mission of this new organization was to meet the needs of students who "arrive hungry, frustrated, scared, or generally distracted by the stresses of their lives."  One of the best ways to support these students was to support the teachers who work with them, as the mission states: "It is our strong belief that throughout our great state, there are educators doing just this with students every day.  If we can bring these people and their knowledge and ideas together and work collaboratively, we can find ways to reach every child, every day."  The first annual conference was held September 27, 2002, where bylaws were adopted and our first Board was elected.  

Narenwich was a member of the National At-Risk Education Network, which was founded in 2001 by Dr. Dallmann-Jones. In association with Frank Kros and the TranzEd alliance, which eventually became part of the Children's Guild Inc., the National At-Risk Education Network hosted an annual national conference in Baltimore, Maryland, bringing Alternative Education professionals from throughout the country together to share ideas, network, and work collaboratively.  As the national network grew, Narenwich adopted the NAREN-WI name to identify itself as a regional member of the National At-Risk Education Network. Following the dissolution of the national organization, the organization continued to use NAREN-WI name, finally formally adopting it in 2021. At the same time, the organization rebranded themselves as NAREN-WI: Alternative Education Professionals to signify that ALL stakeholders share importance in Alternative Education, from the paraprofessionals to the teachers, to the Social Workers, Counselors, and Administrators.  

Today, our membership is made up of teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, social workers, administrators, and those who provide services for students outside of education.  We work in classrooms, offices, charter schools, public schools, alternative schools, residential facilities, treatment centers, and juvenile detention centers.  Our members work with students in: credit recovery, credit attainment, virtual learning/E-school, traditional classrooms, schools-within-a-school settings, charter programs, proficiency-based, competency-based, project-based, GED Option #2, experiential education, work-based learning, and other programs that simply cannot be listed here.  

Our Board is made up entirely of Alternative Education Professionals from around the state who volunteer their time to continue the mission of NAREN-WI.  The board meets four times a year to discuss current needs of our membership and the state, coordinate and plan events for members, and continue to advocate and support alternative education professionals, their programs, and the students we all support.  We host regional meetings in the fall as well as our annual conference, which is held in February of each year.  We offer an annual Scholarship to one or more deserving Alternative Education students, and we sponsor a "Member of the Month" award during each month of the school year for our members.  Our goal is to make our members feel seen, heard, supported, and CELEBRATED!

The mission of NAREN-WI: 

To provide support and resources for professional educators in Wisconsin in order to improve and expand services to enhance the success of at-risk youth.

The purpose of NAREN-WI: 

Is an innovative organization dedicated to positively transforming young lives and the adults who serve them through a continuum of educational and professional support.