Three School of Education students — Anna Bitonti, Molly Gerrish, and Heaven Williams — were recently recognized as spring 2026 “notable grads” by UW–Madison’s Office of Strategic Communication. Following are their profiles, written by Gayle Worland: An animated film on top of two majors “My time at UW–Madison was defined by expanding my relationship to …
By Karen Rivedal, Office of Research and Scholarship A new study from UW–Madison education researchers Aziz Awaludin and Richard Halverson offers a detailed, data‑driven look at how school districts and universities worked together to design principal preparation programs with equity at the center. Published in the Journal of Educational Administration, the study, titled “Connecting the Dots: A …
UW–Madison’s Naomi Mae W., an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Policy Studies, has been appointed to a statewide task force for the Michigan Black Student Project. The Michigan Black Student Project is a state-funded initiative developed through advocacy by community organizers, leaders, and activists. The task force is convened by …
By Karen Rivedal, Office of Research and Scholarship The Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) is building deeper connections with campus partners by providing evaluation expertise in support of research and program improvement. At the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), WEC partners with school districts, universities, state agencies, and community organizations to plan, implement, and support evaluation-related program …
Works by UW–Madison MFA candidates Fatemeh Fani and Swan Ferraro were recognized at the Wisconsin Artists Biennial, which took place Feb. 7–April 19 at the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA). Fani received the Lee Weiss Award, which recognizes a first-time exhibitor, for “Endless Mourning,” a personal archival photograph. An immigrant to the United States from …
By Karen Rivedal, Office of Research and Scholarship A new book by Peter McDonald, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UW–Madison, details how notions of play were transformed in the second half of the 20th century, dubbed the “era of designed play.” The book, “The Impossible Reversal: A …
UW–Madison’s David Kaplan, Hilldale Professor and Richard L. Venezky WARF Professor of Educational Psychology, has received a Renewed Research Stay Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The award recognizes Kaplan’s research contributions and collaborations with German colleagues since he first received a Humboldt Research Award in 2015. Kaplan will spend two months at the …
By Laurel White Several faculty and staff from the School of Education are part of a new campus program dedicated to exploring how to engage with and respond to the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. Mark Dziedzic (Greater Madison Writing Project), Chris Kirchgasler (Department of Curriculum and Instruction), David Williamson Shaffer (Department of Educational Psychology), Peter van Kan (Department …
By Jennifer Smith, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research The Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS), a nonprofit membership association of translational scientists from the nation’s leading academic medical centers, honored its Fellows at Translational Science 2026, a national conference being held in Milwaukee from April 20–23. Among the honorees are three senior leaders from …
A paper led by a Summer Education Research Program (SERP) student and co-authored by a UW–Madison faculty member and three graduate students has received a Best Student Paper Award from the Learning Sciences Special Interest Group (SIG) at the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) 2026 Annual Conference. The paper’s lead author is Reina Yorba-Rico, a …