**************************************************
UW-Madison School of Education Online News - May 2007
**************************************************

Welcome to the UW-Madison School of Education Online News, a monthly update on School and campus news and resources.

IN THIS ISSUE: May 2007

• Educators Plant Seeds of Forgiveness in Belfast and Milwaukee
• Banquet Recognizes Outstanding Undergraduates
• Architects Iron Out Details of Building Projects
• Multiyear Summer School Shows Positive Results
• WCER’s Web Tool Helps States Align Standards with Tests
• CIMC Offers Potpourri of Online Resources for Educators and Parents
• Alumni Weekend - May 12
• Commencement Celebrations - May 18 & 19
• Kinesiology’s Badger Bash - May 31
• Wisconsin Idea Leadership Academy - July 8-12
• Games, Learning & Society Conference - July 12-13
• Summer Institute on Education and Work - July 23-24
• Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning - Aug. 8-10

EDUCATORS PLANT SEEDS OF FORGIVENESS IN BELFAST AND MILWAUKEE
Education professor Robert Enright, who pioneered forgiveness education, was recently featured with his wife, Jeannette Knutson Enright, in a UW series on the Wisconsin Idea in action. The Enrights have led an initiative in Northern Ireland and in Milwaukee that introduces the idea of forgiveness to children. Enright’s research group has found that children exposed to forgiveness education show significant decreases in their levels of anger, a change that has a positive impact on both the individual and the community.
Read more

BANQUET RECOGNIZES OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATES
It was a night to remember – a record-setting 192 scholarships, worth a total of $364,000, were announced at the School of Education’s annual undergraduate honors banquet, May 2. More than 350 people attended the event, which provided an opportunity for many of the scholarship recipients and their families to meet their benefactors. We congratulate these stellar students and offer our thanks to the alumni and friends who made the awards possible.

ARCHITECTS IRON OUT DETAILS OF BUILDING PROJECTS
It’s an incredibly exciting time to be part of the School of Education, what with two major building projects in the works – the Education Building and the Art Lofts. In separate competitions, the State of Wisconsin last fall awarded contracts for both projects to Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc., a national architectural and engineering firm with Midwest roots and a Milwaukee office. With planning for both buildings shifting into high gear, we figured you’d want to stay informed, so we’ve created a website to keep you up-to-date. Its recent news story, “Architects iron out details of building projects,” provides the latest info.
Check it out

MULTIYEAR SUMMER SCHOOL SHOWS POSITIVE RESULTS
What children do during summer break has implications for understanding and addressing the achievement gap, according to education professor Geoffrey Borman. In a three-year study of the Teach Baltimore Summer Academy, which enrolls children who are struggling with reading, Borman and colleagues found that students from high-poverty urban schools who reliably attended the program for three summers returned to school in the fall with improved reading achievement scores.
Read more

WCER’S WEB TOOL HELPS STATES ALIGN STANDARDS WITH TESTS
Some 25 states are using WCER’s online Web Alignment Tool to guide and automate the process of aligning a state’s education standards with its standardized tests. The tool allows district and state education staff to use results from alignment analysis to refine standards and to identify more appropriate assessment items. Such alignment is essential for an effective standards-based education system.
Learn more

CIMC OFFERS POTPOURRI OF ONLINE RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS AND PARENTS
The May newsletter from the School’s Center for Instructional Materials and Computing (CIMC) includes links to a host of resources for educators and parents. Among the websites described are HighlightsKids.com, which features puzzles, games, and science experiments; BrainPop Jr., which offers educational movies for K-3 learners; and Science News for Kids, with lots of activities for children ages 9 to 14.
Get the details

ALUMNI WEEKEND - MAY 12
Education professor David Williamson Shaffer will provide the keynote presentation - “How Computer Games Help Children Learn” – at the School’s Alumni Weekend Celebration on Saturday, May 12. The program also will feature the presentation of seven School of Education Alumni Achievement Awards. The celebration begins with a reception at 9 a.m. in the Harrison Parlor of Lathrop Hall, followed by the program at 10 a.m. The reception and program are free and open to the public. A luncheon (registration and payment required) follows the program.
Get the details

COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATIONS - MAY 18 & 19
The School of Education will celebrate the achievements of its spring graduates with two events: a Reception and Hooding Ceremony for its M.F.A. and Ph.D. degree candidates on Friday afternoon, May 18; and a Commencement Breakfast for its bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates on Saturday morning, May 19. Both events precede the commencement ceremonies in the Kohl Center. Details are available on the School’s homepage events calendar.
Get the details

KINESIOLOGY’S BADGER BASH - MAY 31
The Department of Kinesiology invites alumni and friends to its annual Badger Bash at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference on Thursday, May 31. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Melrose Room of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel.
Read more

WISCONSIN IDEA LEADERSHIP ACADEMY - JULY 8-12
“Doubling Student Performance” is the focus of this summer academy, sponsored by the School’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA). The conference will feature in-depth presentations by leaders of 10 schools and districts from around the country that have doubled student performance and closed the achievement gap on state tests over the past five to seven years. In addition, ELPA professors will discuss research they have conducted with these and other schools and districts that have boosted student performance.
Get the details

GAMES, LEARNING & SOCIETY CONFERENCE - JULY 12-13
The third annual Games, Learning & Society Conference (GLS), sponsored by the School of Education and the Academic ADL Co-Lab, aims to foster substantive discussion and collaboration among academics, designers, and educators interested in how game technologies can enhance learning, culture, and education. Speakers, discussion groups, and interactive workshops will focus on game design, game culture, and games’ potential for learning. GLS scholarships are available for PreK-16 educators.
Get the details

SUMMER INSTITUTE ON EDUCATION AND WORK - JULY 23-24
This unique summer institute, sponsored by the School’s Center on Education and Work, is now in its eighth year. The institute is designed for career-development facilitators (CDFs) and CDF instructors, but its workshops are open to anyone who works in or has an interest in career development or education for work.
Get the details

CONFERENCE ON DISTANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING - AUG. 8-10
This annual conference, now in its 23rd year, is recognized internationally for the quality of its programs. Each year the conference provides an exchange of current resources, research, and best practices from around the world that are relevant to the design and delivery of distance education/training. Highlights include three keynotes and more than 150 concurrent sessions, workshops, forums, and course design showcases. The conference is sponsored by the School of Education and its Office of Education Outreach and by Distance Education Professional Development.
Read more

HAVE YOU MOVED OR CHANGED YOUR NAME?
You can easily update that information via the Alumni page on the School’s website. And we’ll make sure that your University records are changed as well as ours.
Update your records

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN . . .
The School of Education Online News will observe summer vacation June through August, and will resume publication in September. In the meantime, we leave you with our annual summer salute – here’s to sailboats on Lake Mendota, jazz on the Union Terrace, and two scoops of orange-custard chocolate-chip ice cream – hooray for summer!

SUBSCRIBING
If you would like to subscribe to this listserv, CLICK HERE.

WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK
Thank you for reading the SoE Online News. If you would like to comment on this service, please send a message to: soeonline@education.wisc.edu.