U.S. Educators Met in Madison for MSAN Institute Focused on Educator Shortage

April 24, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Breakout sessions with a local bent included a look at UW−Madison’s Discussion Project, the story of how the Monona Grove Parent Equity Council started in 2018 and its impact on the school community since then, and an examination of staff recruitment and retention trends in the Madison Metropolitan School District, with the sharing of one promising district practice to increase teacher morale developed with two MMSD elementary schools over the last 10 months.


Don’t Miss May 8 Webinar on How to Expand Impact of Community Schools Model

April 16, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Wisconsin coalition worked with national and local partners to create a community schools guidebook, and the MN coalition is making progress towards statewide policies and funding. Topics include policy, funding, sustainability, and starting and/or improving community schools.


AT AERA: “Teachers as Policy Advocates” Book Event to Feature Co-authors Hara, Good

April 5, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

​In the book, case studies explore four contemporary policy areas—school safety, student assessment, public health, and digital learning—to identify what teachers know about policy, how they view their relationships to advocacy, and the impact of collaborative professional development on their beliefs and practices.


New $6M Grant to Expand Culturally Responsive Mental Health Services in Madison Schools

April 4, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

The project’s goal is to prepare a new generation of school psychologists equipped with the knowledge and skills to better serve children and youth in Madison schools.


Associate Director of Human Resources Mary Hegge Retiring After 20 Years at WCER

March 29, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Hegge’s last working day at WCER will be March 31. Few people will leave a deeper imprint on WCER’s people, process and practices.


WCER’s Brad Carl Quoted in WPR Article on School Calendar Change in La Crosse

March 29, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

The March 10 story, titled “‘A break from the monotony’: Some La Crosse parents upset by end of year-round calendar at elementary school,” focused on the School District of La Crosse’s decision to end year-round attendance at Hamilton Elementary, where that schedule had been in place for almost 10 years.


Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Protect Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, Renew Democracy

March 24, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Many democracies today are experiencing rapid political polarization. This process affects how we think about policy, where we get our information, and how we perceive public institutions. In an upcoming talk, nationally recognized free speech scholar Sigal Ben-Porath will suggest ways that students, faculty, and administrators can support democratic renewal on campus and throughout society.


New Paper Examines Campus Belonging for Student Military, Veterans in STEMM

March 4, 2023   |   By William Koehler and Karen Rivedal, WCER Communications

In an extension of researcher Ross Benbow’s WCER-based VETWAYS project, findings from the new paper start to fill a knowledge gap using social capital theory to “explore links between STEMM SSM/V social support and a sense of campus belonging…within 4-year campus communities.”


School of Education announces 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award winners

February 10, 2023

To celebrate alumni excellence across the arts, health, and education, the School of Education has selected three trailblazing UW–Madison alumni to honor with a Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding contributions to their fields. SoE will honor the recipients Thursday, Feb. 16, between 1 and 3:45 p.m., when each awardee will deliver a public presentation followed by a Q&A in the Education Building’s Wisconsin Idea Room. A reception in Morgridge Commons cia Nwill follow from 3:45 to 5 p.m.


Meet Your Service Unit Member: Christine Olson

January 25, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

​Christine works in Tech Services doing web design, web accessibility evaluations, and quality assurance testing.


Meet Your Service Unit Member: Brian Maul

January 25, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Brian works in the Business Office Annex as an Administrative Assistant III. He’s part of the Client Services Team, which helps WCER’s research projects with their purchasing and travel needs.


UW–Madison’s Winkle-Wagner Joins Editorial Board of Review of Higher Education

January 25, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

RHE serves as the official journal of the Association for the Study of Higher Education


Meet Your Service Unit Member: Adam Chase

January 25, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

Adam works in the Business Office as a Post-Award Accountant. He is responsible for financial reporting for federal and non-federal projects, auditing and reconciling all expenditures. For fun, he likes playing Go, an abstract strategy board game.


Apply for IES-Funded Summer Training Opportunities

January 25, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

IES is supporting four summer 2023 training institutes that have upcoming application deadlines. Below is more information about each of these offerings, including dates/location, application websites, expectations for the participants, and application deadlines.


CIMER Leader Helps Organize, Present National Mentoring Workshop for Research Universities, Funders, Associations

January 20, 2023   |   By Karen Rivedal, WCER Communications

WCER scientist and CIMER Associate Executive Director Melissa McDaniels helped design and deliver a two-day workshop in Washington, DC, aimed at helping the nation’s research universities and associated stakeholders understand how to better implement and account for doctoral student mentorship programs in higher education.

“We know that mentorship education will only be successful at an institution if there is a culture of mentorship created,” McDaniels says. “You have to look at department chairs and academic leaders and deans. You look at funders. What are the institutional mechanisms that have to be in place? We have research about what makes mentorship programs both inclusive and high quality, but oftentimes institutions don’t have accountability mechanisms in place.”