School of Education | University of Wisconsin–Madison
Ann Marsh has heard the question before. The UW–Madison teaching assistant and Ph.D. candidate in entomology said people ask her “all the time” why, out of all the living things on Earth, she chose to study insects. “And I always tell everybody, ‘If you could see what I see through the microscope, you would know …
UW–Madison scientist Ross Benbow will use a three-year, nearly $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to better understand how the social networks of students from rural Wisconsin influence their success in college. “I’m interested in the transitions students make between different kinds of social and cultural environments. University campuses can be much different …
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 …
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 …
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 …
An estimated 200 high school students and their advisors representing eight states from across the 20-district MSAN network will gather in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 12–15 for the 26th annual MSAN Student Conference with the student-chosen conference theme, “I Am…The American Dream.” The conference, offered every fall for high school students by the Wisconsin Center for Education …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …