University of Wisconsin–Madison

Author: klgrant2

UW–Madison Leaders in Research Education Call for Stronger Mentor-Student Relationships to Boost Undergraduate Research, Student Outcomes

In a new commentary published in the Council on Undergraduate Research’s journal Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research, UW–Madison Interim Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and Associate Professor of Kinesiology Janet Branchaw and Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) Deputy Director Christine Pfund make an evidence-based case for strengthening mentorship ecosystems to improve undergraduate research experiences and …

Building Equity-Focused School Leadership: Wisconsin’s Role in a National Partnership

How can universities and school districts work together to prepare school leaders who champion equity in education? A recent study published in the Journal of Professional Capital and Community explores this question through the lens of the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative—a six-year, $102 million nationwide effort funded by The Wallace Foundation. What Is It? Launched in 2021, the Wallace …

WCER’s Field Day Collaborates with Wisconsin Sea Grant to Develop Shipwrecks Game

When Field Day Director David Gagnon wanted to explore making a new online learning game for young students about the Great Lakes, Gagnon’s campus colleague Anne Moser knew immediately what the game should be about—shipwrecks. “I knew that shipwrecks really capture kids’ imaginations,” said Moser, the education coordinator and senior special librarian for Wisconsin Sea …

WCER Team Creates National Platform for More and Better Jobs for People with Disabilities

A nationwide UW–Madison research project to increase the number and quality of jobs for individuals with disabilities has achieved an extraordinary record of reach and engagement with essential state workers tasked with helping this underserved population. As the five-year, federally funded project known as the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment (VRTAC-QE) begins wrapping up, …

Language-Integrated Framework for Teaching (LIFT): A Framework Supporting Multilingual Learners Through Core Teaching Practices

Author: Mariana Castro October 2025, 21 pp. Abstract: As linguistic diversity within American K–12 classrooms increases, educators need tools to effectively leverage and support the assets of multilingual learners (MLs). MLs face the significant challenge of simultaneously mastering the language of instruction and learning academic content. While core teaching practices are recognized as a research-based, …

The Current and Future Educator Workforce in Wisconsin’s Rural Schools

Authors: Jenny Seelig and Bradley Carl October 2025, 54 pp. Abstract: This paper builds upon previous work investigating Wisconsin’s rural educator workforce by (a) summarizing key characteristics of the current teacher workforce in Wisconsin’s rural schools and how these may have changed over time; and (b) documenting ways in which the state’s approved educator preparation …

UW–Madison Team Honored for Course in Multi-Institution Project Advancing Inclusive Teaching for Nation’s STEM Faculty

University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher Don Gillian-Daniel led a team that was nationally recognized this summer for creating a path-breaking online course credited with advancing inclusive teaching practices for some 5,000 faculty members in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields across the country. The course was offered for eight consecutive semesters through fall 2025 as …

New UW–Madison Report Finds Wisconsin School Districts Rejecting Teacher Performance Pay

A working paper from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison examines how pay practices have changed in Wisconsin school districts that experimented with reforms to traditional teacher salary schedules following the enactment of Act 10 in 2011. This landmark legislation limited collective bargaining for public employees and allowed districts …

New Research Examines How Hands-on Arts Training Improves Teaching

A new working paper from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison investigates how professional learning in the form of embodied arts experiences can help schoolteachers understand, design and deliver better social-emotional learning practices in the classroom, such as increased educator empathy and student-centered instruction. The research, funded by the …

New UW–Madison Study Reveals Keys to Graduate Student Wellness, Belonging, Persistence

A new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison sheds light on the unique challenges Black men face when adjusting to graduate engineering programs—and offers actionable insights for improving program persistence and support for underrepresented students. Published in the journal Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the research highlights the importance of sociocultural adjustment …