University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Empowering students: Q&A with Teacher Pledge alum Madeline Abbatacola

The UW–Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge is dedicated to strengthening and diversifying Wisconsin’s teacher workforce. It pays the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs for all teacher education students who “pledge” to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin after they graduate. To …

UW–Madison’s innovative Teacher Pledge, aimed at supporting future educators and offering solutions to teacher shortage, extended

By Todd Finkelmeyer As the nationwide teacher shortage continues to generate headlines, stress education leaders, and frustrate policymakers in search of answers, the UW–Madison School of Education is announcing the extension of an innovative program aimed at addressing the problem in Wisconsin. The UW–Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program first started supporting students in the …

‘Playful testing’: UW–Madison’s Matthew Berland co-authors book on how to build great games for classroom assessment

By Laurel White A new book co-authored by a UW–Madison School of Education faculty member sheds more light on how to build and use games to effectively measure students’ learning.  Matthew Berland, an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and founder and director of the Complex Play Lab and the UW Game Design Program, co-authored “Playful …

Fred Newmann, longtime UW–Madison professor and giant in assessment, civic education, dies at 86

In his decades-long career as an educator and education researcher, Fred Newmann rose to national prominence as a giant in his field, producing work that transformed how teachers and administrators think about authentic assessment, civic and social studies education, professional development, and school restructuring.  Newmann passed away on Feb. 10 at the age of 86, …

UW–Madison alum Apps is co-author of new book urging creative thinking about environmental issues

Jerry Apps, who earned his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from UW–Madison’s School of Education in 1967, is the co-author of a new book that is titled, “Planting an Idea: Critical and Creative Thinking about Environmental Issues.”  Apps, who wrote “Planting an Idea” with his daughter-in-law Natasha Kassulke, has won multiple writing awards including an …

Returning home to teach science: Q&A with Teacher Pledge alum Abigail Laumer

The UW–Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge is dedicated to strengthening and diversifying Wisconsin’s teacher workforce. It pays the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs for all teacher education students who “pledge” to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin after they graduate. To …

UW–Madison’s Bullock speaks with NPR about new AP African American Studies course option

UW–Madison’s Erika Bullock, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, spoke to NPR about the new AP African American Studies course, just a few days before the College Board introduced its official framework on Feb. 1.  Golda Meir High School, in downtown Milwaukee, is one of few schools across …

UW–Madison’s Game Jam a success, featured in Daily Cardinal

Earlier this month, UW–Madison’s Game Lab, housed in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, hosted a 2023 Global Game Jam (GGJ) event where participants developed three new video games.  The event, which took place over a 48-hour period, allowed gamers from around the world to compete against each other to create video …

Former School of Education Seed Grant winners publish new paper about their work

UW–Madison faculty and staff who are past winners of a School of Education Seed Grant have published a paper about their important work, titled “Learning how to teach Indigenous history and culture,” in the December 2022 edition of The Learning Professional. The paper had its genesis several years ago as part of the School of …

UW–Madison’s Ladson-Billings featured on Al Jazeera’s ‘Up Front’ program

Gloria Ladson-Billings, a professor emerita with the School of Education and the former Kellner Family Distinguished Chair in Urban Education with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, is featured in an Al Jazeera segment that is headlined, “Are conservatives trying to erase and rewrite U.S. history?” Interviewer Marc Lamont Hill for Al Jazeera’s “Up Front” …