Research News

Fri
Sep
29

WCER researchers find Wisconsin children unequally ready for kindergarten

The class of 2030 has just started kindergarten. As four million youngsters across the country begin the first step of education, a new study provides a first-time look at inequalities in school readiness among Wisconsin’s kindergarten students. Researchers from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), part of UW–Madison’s School of Education, compared the literacy skills of Wisconsin’s kindergarten students and found them “far from equally prepared to learn.” “These findings are consistent with national research,” states Eric Grodsky, the WCER researcher and UW–Madison professor of sociology and educational policy studies who led the study.
Mon
Sep
25

Eight ‘Grand Challenges’ award winners embody inquiry, innovation and impact

Of 14 applications to the inaugural Grand Challenges Engage initiative, eight finalists are receiving a combined total of $200,000 to carry out the Wisconsin Idea on behalf of the UW-Madison School of Education over the next two years. The Grand Challenges initiative inspires and facilitates interactions among School of Education faculty, staff and community partners. The goal is to build interdisciplinary teams to identify and design innovative solutions for critical social and scholarly problems across Wisconsin and around the world.
Wed
Sep
20

UW-Madison's Vlach, Lupyan receive NIH grant to study effects of early language experiences

UW-Madison’s Gary Lupyan and Haley Vlach recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct an innovative and interdisciplinary research project that will examine key questions of how early language experience shapes later cognitive and academic outcomes. As part of the grant, the team will develop an app to help parents track their children's language development. Vlach is an assistant professor with the School of Education’s No. 1-ranked Department of Educational Psychology and Lupyan is an associate professor with the Department of Psychology.
Fri
Sep
15

Visiting scholar Galiti awarded prestigious Greek Diaspora Fellowship

Peli Galiti has been awarded a prestigious Greek Diaspora Fellowship from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation as part of a cross-cultural collaboration between the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and UW-Madison. Galiti is a visiting scholar with UW-Madison's School of Education ​and is conducting research with Robert Enright, a professor with the School of Education's No. 1-ranked Department of Educational Psychology. Through the fellowship, Galiti will implement forgiveness education programs in Greece, hosting workshops about restorative justice and forgiveness education, as well as conducting research about bullying prevention and class collaboration.
Wed
Sep
13

UW-Madison alum Roling wins inaugural School Psychology dissertation award

Recent UW-Madison graduate Katie Roling is the inaugural recipient of the Thomas R. Kratochwill School Psychology Dissertation Award to Advanced Evidence-Based Practice. Roling graduated from the School Psychology program, which is housed within the School of Education's Department of Educational Psychology. The award is given to School Psychology students whose dissertations look to improve outcomes for children and youth using evidence-based practices.
Tue
Sep
05

UW-Madison's Wang, Prevost co-author chapter on contextualized math courses

UW-Madison’s Xueli Wang and Amy Prevost are co-authors of a chapter examining contextualized math courses that appears in the summer 2017 issue of the “New Directions for Community Colleges,” a series that covers current trends in the field of community college education. The chapter from Wang and Prevost is titled, “A Researcher–Practitioner Partnership on Remedial Math Contextualization in Career and Technical Education Programs.”
Thu
Aug
31

UW-Madison's Minero receives grant, new advocacy role

UW-Madison’s Laura Minero recently received a grant from the Latino Center for Leadership Development (LCLD) to conduct a study titled, “Impact of Detention Proceedings and Solitary Confinement of Latinx UndocuTrans Populations.” Minero is a Ph.D. student with the School of Education’s Department of Counseling Psychology. Minero was also selected to be the APAGS Advocacy Coordinator for the North Central region from 2017-19.
Wed
Aug
30

Department of Curriculum and Instruction hosting conference on Theory and Data in Curriculum, History and Educational Studies

Scholars from across the United States and Europe will be meeting on the UW-Madison campus Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 for a conference titled, “Theory and Data in Curriculum, History and Educational Studies.” The annual event, which rotates between Stanford University, the University of Vienna and UW-Madison, is being hosted this summer by the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Fri
Aug
25

UW-Madison’s Rau launches ‘Learning with Visuals’ vlog to share her work with public

In an effort to better connect her education research with people outside the realm of academia, UW-Madison’s Martina Rau recently launched a video blog, or vlog, called, “Learning with Visuals.” Rau directs the Learning Representations and Technology Lab on campus, which studies how educational technologies can best support student learning with visuals. She also is an assistant professor with the School of Education’s No. 1-ranked Department of Educational Psychology, and holds an affiliate appointment in the Department of Computer Sciences.
Wed
Aug
16

Winkle-Wagner co-authors paper published in Journal of College Student Development

UW-Madison’s Rachelle Winkle-Wagner co-authored a recent paper that was published in the July issue of the Journal of College Student Development. The paper is titled, “Encouraged or Weeded Out: Perspectives of Students of Color in the STEM Disciplines on Faculty Interactions.” In particular, the study examines the different experiences of students of color pursuing STEM degrees at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) versus predominantly white institutions (PWI). As the paper explains: "The findings suggest that students at PWIs felt as if faculty attempted to 'weed them out' of STEM disciplines, whereas students at HBCUs reported feeling encouraged and well socialized to enter STEM disciplines. There are important lessons from this data on how to better support Students of Color in STEM disciplines."
Tue
Aug
08

UW-Madison’s Hook reviews ‘Partnership Schools for Liberia’

UW-Madison’s Tyler Hook recently authored a report that examines the Partnership Schools for Liberia pilot project. Hook is a Ph.D. student with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Policy Studies. The report is titled, “Partnership Schools for Liberia: a critical review,” and it includes revisions by Nancy Kendall, an associate professor with the Department of Educational Policy Studies.
Mon
Aug
07

New grants allow UW’s Valdez to expand Fortalezas Familiares initiative for Latina mothers with depression and their families

UW-Madison’s Carmen Valdez was recently awarded two new grants to support the expansion, implementation and further evaluation of the Fortalezas Familiares initiative. Fortalezas Familiares, or Family Strengths, was first piloted by Valdez and her team in 2010 and today is a 14-week, multi-family intervention for Latina immigrant mothers with depression, other family caregivers and their children. This latest round of funding will enable Valdez and her team to conduct a pilot trial of the program with Latino families in Madison and Milwaukee schools.
Fri
Aug
04

UW’s Koltyn receives NIH support for study examining ‘Stand Up and Move More’

UW-Madison’s Kelli Koltyn is leading a team of researchers that recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct a study titled “Translating a ‘Stand Up and Move More’ Intervention by State Aging Units to Older Adults in Underserved Communities.” “The Stand Up and Move More” intervention consists of four weekly sessions, plus a refresher session at eight weeks. It will be delivered by community partners in Dane, Iowa, Rock and Vilas counties in Wisconsin.
Wed
Aug
02

Alum Trondson receives outstanding thesis honor from American Montessori Society

UW-Madison alumna Erin Ruzicka Trondson earlier this year tied for first place for the 2017 Outstanding Thesis Award given annually by the American Montessori Society (AMS). Trondson completed her master’s degree and research with the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her Master's thesis is titled: “Montessori Education & Social Justice: Overlap, Potential, & Areas for Growth.”
Mon
Jul
31

UW researchers find specialization may increase risk of injuries for high school athletes

A team of researchers from UW-Madison authored a new study that adds to the evidence that specializing in one sport may increase the risk of a range of injuries for high school athletes. The study is titled, “A Prospective Study on the Effect of Sport Specialization on Lower Extremity Injury Rates in High School Athletes,” and it appears in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Timothy McGuine, who earned his master’s degree from the Department of Kinesiology in 1986 and today is a senior scientist and the research coordinator for the UW Health Sports Medicine Center, is the lead author on a paper. Co-authors include: Eric Post and Stephanie Trigsted, Ph.D. students with the Department of Kinesiology; and David Bell, an assistant professor with the department.
Thu
Jul
20

UW-Madison’s Allweiss awarded AAUW American Dissertation Fellowship

UW-Madison's Alex Allweiss has been awarded the American Association of University Women’s (AAUW) American Dissertation Fellowship for the 2017-18 academic year. Allweiss is a Ph.D. candidate with the School of Education's departments of Educational Policy Studies, and Curriculum and Instruction. Allweiss' dissertation explores the ways current policies and processes such as militarization, privatization and migration influence the lives and educational trajectories of indigenous Chuj Maya youth.
Thu
Jul
13

Budge receives AHEAD Pilot Program grant to examine stress-focused interventions

The UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research’s (ICTR) AHEAD Pilot Program recently awarded four new grants in response to the 2017 request for proposals. And among those receiving an award in this most recent round of funding is the School of Education’s Stephanie Budge, an assistant professor with the Department of Counseling Psychology. Budge’s research project is titled, “Psychotherapy Minority Stress Interventions for Transgender Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.”
Mon
Jul
10

Alzheimer's disease study links brain health and physical activity

People at risk for Alzheimer's disease who do more moderate-intensity physical activity, but not light-intensity physical activity, are more likely to have healthy patterns of glucose metabolism in their brain, according to a new UW-Madison study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. First author Ryan Dougherty is a graduate student studying under the direction of Dane Cook, a professor with the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and a co-author of the study. Ozioma Okonkwo is the senior author.
Thu
Jul
06

UW-Madison's Baldridge, colleagues author paper on community-based education

UW-Madison’s Bianca Baldridge is the lead author on a new paper that appears in the Review of Research in Education about community-based educational spaces. The paper explains how community-based educational spaces such as after-school programs and community-based youth organizations "have a long history of interrupting patterns of educational inequity and continue to do so under the current educational policy climate." Co-authors on the paper are Nathan Beck, who received a master's degree from the Department of Educational Policy Studies, and Juan Carlos Medina and Marlo A. Reeves, both of whom are current Ph.D. students with the department.
Wed
Jul
05

Winkle-Wagner co-authors paper examining 'Black Women Faculty Members’ Journeys Toward Tenure'

UW-Madison’s Rachelle Winkle-Wagner and Loyola University Chicago’s Bridget Turner Kelly co-authored a paper for the most recent edition of the Teachers College Record that is headlined, “Finding a Voice in Predominantly White Institutions: A Longitudinal Study of Black Women Faculty Members’ Journeys Toward Tenure.” Winkle-Wagner is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and a faculty affiliate of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education.

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