Multilingualism is a Superpower: 10 Years of the WIDA Annual Conference

October 27, 2023   |   By WIDA Communications

The WIDA Annual Conference is always a special time because it’s a conference by teachers, for teachers, but this year, it was extra special. It was the 10th WIDA Annual Conference and WIDA’s 20th birthday. More than 1,300 people joined us in Milwaukee to celebrate.


Data In Action: Submit Your Research Bazaar Proposal

October 12, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

The UW–Madison Research Bazaar seeks submissions for lightning talks, posters, interactive discussions, workshops, and an art-meets-science exhibit for its 5th annual event, February 7–8 at the Discovery Building. Proposals are due November 10.


UW–Madison to Lead New National Center Addressing Lack of School Mental Health Providers

September 29, 2023   |   By Karen Rivedal, WCER Communications

Education researchers at UW–Madison will receive $10.4 million in federal funding to create a first-of-its-kind national center to support nearly 300 grants awarded to states, school districts and universities across the country. The grants represent a federal investment of more than $188 million in funded proposals to increase and improve the school mental health workforce amid a national crisis in child and adolescent mental health.



Thomas A. Romberg, Professor Emeritus and Internationally Recognized Leader in Mathematics Education, Dies

September 28, 2023   |   By School of Education Communications

Romberg joined the UW–Madison faculty in 1966 and retired in 2005. Through his almost 40 years on the faculty he became an internationally recognized leader in mathematics education.


WIDA Welcomes Meg Van Voorhis as Chief Educator Learning Officer

September 25, 2023   |   By WIDA Communications

Meg’s appointment to the CELO role marks a significant step forward for WIDA. In creating the CELO position, WIDA elevates the critical importance of professional learning and research in support of educators as the population of multilingual learners continues to grow.


WEC Article Describing Kimball-Arrigoni Study of School Principal Evaluations Published

September 15, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Wisconsin has required school districts to develop an evaluation system measuring the performance of teachers and principals since 2014.


Applications Open for Academic Staff Professional Development Grants

September 14, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2023 Academic Staff Professional Development Grant Program. The program is offered to academic staff members who meet the eligibility requirements and hold at least a 50 percent appointment. Grants are for activities between January 1, 2024 and June 30, 2024.


New Project Addresses Need for Diverse School Materials for Jewish Children of Color

September 13, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Shalom Curriculum Project, led by Shahanna McKinney-Baldon and coordinated by Michal Avera Samuel, will survey educators and parents about the need for more racially and ethnically diverse curricular materials in Jewish early childhood education and then create and test revised materials in participating Jewish homes and pre-schools.




NSF Webinar to Connect Math and Science Achievement Gaps to Modifiable Factors Early in a Student’s Education

September 11, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

The webinar will be from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14.


NIH Grant Writing Bootcamp Offered for Social Scientists

September 11, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Sessions will be held from mid-October 2023 through mid-May 2024 and will be restricted to participants who plan to submit an NIH proposal by July 2024. Apply by Friday, Sept. 15.


WCER Colleagues After Work: An-Chieh Angela Chang

August 1, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

An-Chieh Angela Chang likes to cook and bake in her off-hours, especially the breads and treats she made when she ran a local tea shop with her spouse and some friends before joining WCER in 2022. She still does some home-based catering for former tea shop regulars.


UW–Madison’s Kim, Shaffer, Eagan Offer QE Masterclasses in Asia

August 1, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

In a series of seven workshops and lectures across Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur in February, Kim, Shaffer and Eagan offered researchers hands-on opportunities to learn about the methods and potential applications of QE, which unifies statistical and qualitative research methods to help researchers better harness the power of “big data” in the study of complex and collaborative human activity.


WCER Launches Sample Proposal Library for SoE Grant Writers

August 1, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

To help School of Education (SoE) faculty, staff, and students apply for—and hopefully win— more grant funding, WCER recently launched the Sample Proposal Library (SamPL). It contains full narratives from 16 funded education grant proposals to federal and foundation grantmakers.


From the South Pole to Rural Wisconsin via Virtual Reality

August 1, 2023   |   By Sofie Schachter

David Gagnon, director of Field Day Lab, says Field Day is exploring how virtual reality games like Waddle may help increase users’ empathy and engagement with certain subjects. For players of Waddle, those issues include polar research and conservation.


From Grant to Global Impact: WIDA’s Journey Over Two Decades

July 17, 2023   |   By Hannah Haynes, WIDA Communications

WIDA turns 20 years old this year. Read about how WIDA grew from the early days as a grant-funded startup to the large-scale consortium it is today and see where the organization is hoping to go in the next two decades.