University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: News

Courtney Bell Explains Standards-Based Learning for Story on Phasing out Letter Grades

WCER Director Courtney Bell, a UW–Madison School of Education professor of learning sciences, shared insights on standards-based learning in a recent Wisconsin State Journal story about phasing out letter grades in a pilot program underway in some Madison East High School classes.  The story explains that instead, students in those classes are being graded on a scale …

Katie Eklund Shares Expertise for PBS NewsHour Program on Addressing Student Mental Health Concerns

Katie Eklund, a professor of educational psychology in UW–Madison’s School of Education, discussed efforts to address the nation’s shortage of school-based mental health professionals in a recent report on the growing issue by PBS Wisconsin that was broadcast nationally on PBS NewsHour. Eklund described how unmet mental health concerns can harm students in school and throughout …

Wisconsin Teachers and Librarians to Help Create Astrophysics Learning Game

Computer Game Will Use Latest Research to Take Learners to the Furthest Reaches of Space On Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, a small group of select librarians and teachers from across the state will gather with game designers and scientists for a day-long workshop in Madison to develop a new educational computer game that will take learners …

New $1.25M Wei LAB Project Seeks to Warm ‘Chilly Climate’ in STEM for Underrepresented

Engineering Professional Societies to Receive New Tools and Resources to Promote DEI Culture Change Driven by the goal of improving the country’s ability to solve complex problems, a partnership led by UW–Madison’s Wei LAB will help engineering societies apply a newly released international standard on diversity and inclusion. It aims to foster STEM disciplinary excellence …

Five with School of Education Ties Named in Madison365’s List of Influential Black Leaders

Two WCER Honorees are Among Those Five: Wei LAB’s Shawn Anthony Robinson and MSAN Executive Director Latoya Holiday Madison365’s 2023 list of “Wisconsin’s 51 Most Influential Black Leaders” spotlights five individuals with ties to the UW–Madison School of Education. Those featured are “elected leaders, business leaders, and community leaders, doing difficult, important work, often in …

WIDA Collaborates to Make English Proficiency Scores Compatible with International Standard

WIDA MODEL Online Scale Scores Linked to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) WIDA MODEL Online, an English language proficiency assessment for students in grades 1-12, can now be understood on a scale used by educators around the world. In January 2023, WIDA researchers and international educators collaborated to link WIDA MODEL Online scale …

Odle Discusses Rise of Direct Admissions on WPR Show

Several Campuses in Universities of Wisconsin System to Adopt Enrollment Change for Next Fall UW–Madison’s Taylor Odle shared his expertise recently on the rise of direct admissions programs in Wisconsin universities and across the nation on WPR’s The Morning Show. Direct admissions is a practice in which colleges proactively offer admission to students based on existing, readily available …

MSAN Student Conference Seeks to Create Rich Connections, Seed Equitable School Change

Dozens of High School Students From Across the U.S. Met in Madison for the First Time Since 2019 Nearly 200 high school students and their chaperones/advisors from 19 U.S. school districts were in Madison Nov. 1–4 for the 24th annual MSAN Student Conference, presented by the UW–Madison School of Education (SoE), to develop youth leaders focused on ending …

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

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. From the very first moments of #WIDA2023, the energy was palpable. …

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

Proposal from Education Researchers will Receive $10.4 Million in Federal Funding over 4 Years UW–Madison education researchers have been awarded a 4-year, $10.4 million federal contract to launch and operate a national center to expand and improve the country’s school-based mental health workforce of school psychologists, social workers, and other practitioners. The winning proposal from …