University of Wisconsin–Madison

Author: klgrant2

The Fair Play Project: An Intervention to Reduce Racial Bias in the Academy

Author: Christine Pribbenow and Carissa Brown July 2026, 20 pp. Abstract: Fair Play is the cornerstone of workshops developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to teach STEMM faculty about implicit (or unconscious) bias and strategies to reduce bias in their behavior and the environment. Fair Play is a computer-based simulation that allows the …

Deja Mason Named to In Business Madison 40 Under 40

Deja Mason, project manager at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), has been named to In Business Madison’s 40 Under 40, in recognition of her leadership, professional accomplishments, and community impact. Mason supports the Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership Learning/Equity-Centered Leadership (CALL-ECL) project, a major initiative focused on preparing equity-centered school leaders. In her role, she has …

Bridge Funding Helps UW–Madison Advance Statewide Special Education Efforts

A timely infusion of bridge funding enabled UW–Madison program evaluators over the past year to sustain and expand crucial work supporting induction and mentoring programs for the state’s special education workforce. The replacement money, triggered by the loss of a federal grant, totaled $60,000 in matching funds from the School of Education and university research …

New UW–Madison Study Reframes Community College Student Mental Health as a Driver of Purpose and Career Development

A newly published study by UW–Madison School of Education researchers based at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) finds that community college students’ experiences with mental health challenges can shape not only the obstacles they face but also their sense of purpose, empathy, and career direction. The mixed-methods study, published in The Journal of Higher …

UW–Madison’s Saldaña Wins Grant to Reimagine How Schools Coordinate Resources

UW–Madison assistant professor of Education Finance and Leadership Christopher Saldaña is part of a team that has been awarded a $75,000 Vision Grant from the Spencer Foundation to develop a major research initiative focused on improving how K–12 schools, districts, and community organizations coordinate resources to support students. Saldaña will co-lead the planning project alongside …

UW–Madison Researchers Receive Spencer Foundation Grant to Advance Education for Children and Youth On the Move

The Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC) at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), University of Wisconsin–Madison, in partnership with the Educational Research and Action Platform (Plataforma de Investigación y Acción Educativa S.A. — PIASE), has been awarded a one-year Vision Grant from the Spencer Foundation to plan a major initiative aimed at improving education for children and youth …

New UW–Madison, MMSD Journal Article Finds Preschoolers Already Form Friendships Based on Shared Characteristics

New research, published in a peer-reviewed journal by researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), shows that children as young as 4 years old begin forming social networks shaped by shared characteristics, offering new insight into how early peer relationships develop. The study, published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, …

From 5,000 Documents to Clear Insights: WCER Researchers Share Lessons From Building Their Own AI Assistant

WCER researchers recently offered a behind-the-scenes look at why and how they built a Gemini‑based AI tool to help them make sense of a vast array of complex data collected over five years as part of a national project to develop equity-centered school leadership. In a spring presentation led by now-retired principal investigator Rich Halverson, …

UW–Madison Study Shows Training in Culturally Aware Mentoring Creates Lasting Change for Biomedical Faculty

A new paper co-authored by UW–Madison professor Angela Byars‑Winston demonstrates that biomedical faculty can make meaningful and lasting improvements in their mentoring practices when they participate in culturally responsive training that builds their confidence and skills to engage with students across different racial and ethnic identities. Published in Scientific Reports, a Nature portfolio journal, the paper, “Culturally Aware Mentoring …

UW–Madison Project Joins With MMSD to Meet Pressing Student Needs

When the Madison Education Partnership (MEP) launched in 2016, its goal was simple but ambitious: bring together researchers and educators to address real problems facing Madison’s public schools to contribute to change locally and inform research nationally. Today, UW–Madison researchers and Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) teachers and administrators can point to a decade of …