This is the latest online edition of Learning Connections, a magazine for alumni and friends of the UW–Madison School of Education. The Summer 2021 issue centers on the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. This issue of Learning Connections also highlights important and innovative work being done across all 10 of our departments. A pdf of the print edition is available here.
Within every challenge, an opportunity
Faculty, staff, and students not only found ways to get by during the pandemic — they often thrived.
Message from the Dean
Dean Diana Hess is hopeful for the future — and eager to see what the new normal brings for the university and School of Education.
Voices
The School of Education welcomed 16 new faculty members to campus during the 2020-21 academic year, which is one of the largest cohorts to sign on with the School since its founding in 1930. Here, we introduce Hailey Love, an assistant professor with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education.
Voices
On Saturday, May 8, UW–Madison celebrated its Spring 2021 Commencement. We are tremendously proud of all our students — nearly 600 of them — graduating from School of Education programs. We reached out to a few of our graduating students — from bachelor’s to PhDs — to learn more about their favorite memories, advice for incoming students, and more.
Voices
The Teacher Pledge launched in August 2020. The initiative “pledges” to provide financial support — including up to in-state tuition, fees, and testing certification costs — for students enrolled in any of the School’s teacher education programs. In return, the students “pledge” to teach for three or four years in a Wisconsin school. Hear what students are saying about the program.
News and notes
According to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings released in March, UW–Madison is home to the fourth-ranked school of education in the nation — marking the eighth straight year it has been rated among the top five. In addition, U.S. News ranks nine education graduate specialty programs — and all nine housed within our School of Education are ranked among the Top 10 nationally.
News and notes
UW–Madison School of Education alumnus Ian Chalgren designed the recently released book, “Let’s Talk About It,” which showcases the art painted on Madison’s State Street storefronts after the George Floyd protests during the summer of 2020.
On It, Wisconsin!
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.
News and notes
School of Education bookshelf: Check out examples of a range of recent publications from faculty and staff across our School of Education.
News and notes roundup
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.
Media mentions
Faculty and staff from across the 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.
Innovation
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
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.
Innovation roundup
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 for its Indigenous Learning Lab project. The design phase of the project was funded through the School of Education’s Grand Challenges initiative.
Class Notes
Check out what School of Education alumni from across the globe have been up to.
Spotlight
Edward Falstad received a scholarship for his first semester at UW–Madison in September 1939. He later established a scholarship for students from Ladysmith, Wisconsin — and then he and his wife, Joyce, left an estate gift to the UW–Madison School of Education.
Spotlight
Xueli Wang has dedicated much of her academic career to improving the higher education landscape to help students — especially those who begin their journey at two-year colleges — find their path to success. This past fall, she was awarded a prestigious endowed professorship as the inaugural Barbara and Glenn Thompson Professor in Educational Leadership.
Alumni spotlights
Jill Underly — who received her master’s (2008) and PhD (2012) from the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis — won a state-wide election in April to become Wisconsin’s next state superintendent. Underly, who had led the Pecatonica Area School District the past six years, started her position in July.
Keep in touch!
If you have questions or comments about Learning Connections, email Todd Finkelmeyer at todd.finkelmeyer@wisc.edu, or call 608-890-1430.
The School of Education wants to hear from our alumni and friends. We also want to make sure you are hearing from us. If you have not received electronic updates, it may mean we don’t have your current e-mail address. Please visit the Wisconsin Alumni Association website to update your information. In addition, the WAA offers free e-mail accounts to all alumni.