July 1, 2021
UW–Madison School of Education Dean Diana Hess looks back at the difficult past year-plus — and the lessons learned that will make the School of Education stronger moving forward.
Learning Connections
Within every challenge, an opportunity
July 1, 2021
To say the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges to the UW–Madison campus community — and the world — is an understatement. But the School of Education’s faculty, staff, and students not only found ways to get by — they often thrived. Now, the School is looking forward with hope and anticipating a fall semester that’s shaping up to be much more like 2019 than 2020.
Class notes: Summer 2021 Learning Connections
June 30, 2021
Check out what our School of Education alumni, from across the globe, have been up to.
Spotlight: Falstad estate gift anchors innovative training program
June 30, 2021
As a lifelong educator — starting first in Phillips, Wisconsin, as a history teacher and ending his career in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, as the high school principal — Edward Falstad was committed to students and learning. When he passed away in 2017, he left the bulk of he and his wife's estate to the UW–Madison School of Education.
Spotlight: Wang named inaugural Barbara and Glenn Thompson Professor in Educational Leadership
June 30, 2021
Xueli Wang’s research puts a particular emphasis on community college students who aim to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a baccalaureate degree, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) fields. This past fall, she was awarded a prestigious endowed professorship as the inaugural Barbara and Glenn Thompson Professor in Educational Leadership.
Innovation: UW–Madison Community Arts Collaboratory receives National Endowment for the Arts grant
June 30, 2021
The UW–Madison Community Arts Collaboratory received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) award to support a new study examining the value of community arts education initiatives. The Arts Collab is housed in the School of Education’s office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE).
Innovation: Faculty awarded $16.7 million grant for center supporting employment for people with disabilities
June 30, 2021
Several faculty members with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education (RPSE) are working on a new project to help people with disabilities find meaningful employment — and they have been awarded a $16.7 million grant from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration to make it happen. The project will create a new center called the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment (VRTAC-QE). The center will work with state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and their affiliates to provide essential technical assistance and training.
Innovation roundup: Indigenous Learning Lab receives Spencer Foundation award
June 30, 2021
A research team from the Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (CRPBIS) initiative, housed in the School of Education’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research, was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation. The design phase of the project was funded through the School of Education’s Grand Challenges initiative, utilizing a Transform Grant.
Media mentions: Outlets across nation spotlight CCBC’s diversity data
June 30, 2021
Faculty and staff from across UW–Madison’s School of Education are routinely quoted or make their voices heard in newspapers, magazines, and online news media outlets. Similarly, these experts are often interviewed and showcased on a range of local, national, and international radio and television news reports. Over the past year, there have been more than 100 School of Education-related media mentions.
News and notes roundup: Abdu’Allah named Chazen Family Distinguished Chair in Art
June 30, 2021
Faisal Abdu’Allah, an internationally acclaimed artist and professor with the School of Education’s Art Department, was chosen earlier this year as UW–Madison’s next recipient of the Chazen Family Distinguished Chair in Art.