In the last 10 years, 40 states have implemented class-size reduction programs, which are popular with the public. However, people often use differing definitions for the term "class-size reduction." To sort out the terminologies, UW-Madison professor Beth Graue and colleague Erica Rauscher interviewed scholars who have worked on the topic and began unpacking the assumptions used in research, policy, and practice.

The Cooperative Children's Book Center is offering a preview of titles to be included in "CCBC Choices 2010," highlighting the best books published in 2009. The CCBC librarians will be updating this PDF document periodically throughout the fall. The next issue of the the popular "CCBC Choices" will be available after March 6, 2010.

Education professor Richard Halverson offers a vision for the future of American education that goes well beyond the walls of a classroom in a new book he has co-authored, Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America. “I want schools to understand what they’re up against, and I want schools to be able to embrace opportunities where digital learning makes sense,” says Halverson.

Administrators from Wisconsin school districts are working with School of Education researchers to learn how to use a new student growth measure. In early November, the Value-Added Research Center (VARC) began rolling out a series of training sessions for school administrators on value-added research. Value-added research offers a fair and transparent system of measuring student growth that can account for such factors as a student’s prior performance level or socioeconomic status.

We’re proud to call her one of ours! Alexa Posny (M.A. ’76, special education & behavioral disabilities; Ph.D. ’88, educational administration) has been appointed assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education. Posny has initiated and administered numerous programs for children and adults with special needs at both state and national levels, most recently serving as the Kansas education commissioner.

American Education Week is a time to recognize all the people – in schools, universities, homes, businesses and communities – who work together to help children and young adults learn. The School of Education marks the occasion with a full week of events that include public lectures on local school governance and the future of school accountability, a forum on innovative ideas for need-based aid in Wisconsin, the fall faculty dance concert, and an art talk, to name but a few. Most events are free and open to the public.

The Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education project (SMHC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is offering a national conference for teams of education leaders from urban school districts across the country. Keynote presenters and panel presentations will focus on leading edge, comprehensive approaches to talent and human capital management practices currently in progress in places throughout the country and performance management strategies and tools used in districts and organizations. The conference will take place in Washington, D.C. Online registration closes on Tuesday, October 27.

Join the librarians of UW-Madison' Cooperative Children's Book Center for timely, 30-minute tours through some of the newest and best in children’s and young adult literature. These monthly are designed to give librarians a heads-up about selected new titles of note, as well as to revisit some of the books already in library collections. (Registration required; sessions are archived for reference.)

“Assistive technology is a foundation to the quality of life that almost all persons with disabilities require,” says Monica KamalRossa, who is the lead organizer for the 25th annual Assistive Technology Expo.

The Expo will be held Wednesday, November 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Engineering Centers Building, 1550 Engineering Drive on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The event is free and open to the general public and showcases some of the latest advances in technology that can offer people with disabilities new opportunities to participate in school, employment and community life.

UW–Madison education professor Geoffrey Borman and colleagues have evaluated Open Court Reading (OCR), a phonics-based K–6 curriculum grounded in research-based practices. Even though OCR has been widely used since the 1960s, it had not been evaluated rigorously, so these findings should prove significant for curriculum leaders, literacy leaders, researchers, and policymakers.

A research team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently won $4.5 million in federal grants to study computer games and learning.

"Funding at this scale gives us an unprecedented opportunity to use computer games to teach — and to test what kids have learned — in a new way," says David Williamson Shaffer, a professor of educational psychology in the UW-Madison School of Education who is principal investigator on three of the four grants. "This funding lets us use the power of computer technology to prepare kids for the world of global competition that computer technology has created."

The transformation has been nothing short of dramatic — and it’s not yet complete. When I put on my hard hat and pass through the fence surrounding the Education Building on Bascom Hill every week or two, I can always count on seeing several things that have changed since my previous visit. In short, my mission is to find progress and photograph it.

Family income level, parental education, school quality, and immigrant status all affect Hispanic students’ educational success. But these cannot fully account for Hispanic underachievement, says UW–Madison sociology professor Ruth López Turley. Many studies have concluded that familism is especially pronounced in Hispanic culture, and that it both helps and hinders Hispanic students.

The UW-Madison Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI), which oversees the First Wave Learning Community, has been selected to receive one of the state’s top honors, a 2009 Governor’s Award in Support of the Arts. This is the first time a university arts program has won the award in its long history of recognizing arts programs and philanthropists across the state of Wisconsin.

The UW-Madison will host a semester-long fall lecture series based on the scholarship and art of Hip-Hop. The public and entire campus community are invited to attend the free lecture series, which is a cooperative venture of the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI), the Havens Center and the Office of the Vice Provost for Climate and Diversity.

Three units of the UW-Madison School of Education have been consolidated into a single entity, pooling resources and expertise to better serve both internal and external users.
The new unit, called Media, Education Resources, and Information Technology (MERIT), combines the Center for Instructional Materials and Computing (CIMC), the Instructional Media Development Center (IMDC) and the School of Education’s Information Technology Office.

Adam Kelley (B.S. '07 in elementary education and African-American studies) is using the skills he learned teaching in the Madison Professional Development Schools (PDS) Partnership to train teachers in a remote area of Uganda as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.

“Mathematics for all” is a goal that has not been realized, despite the attention and efforts of many mathematics educators. The 2008 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showed that mathematics learning opportunities for students in the U.S. are often shallow, compared to many other countries.

“Sense of Place, Sense of Self,” is the latest bibliography from the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC). This list explores fiction for older elementary through high school readers in which the modern-day setting plays a critical role.

Six months into the construction phase, the Education Building Renovation/Addition Project has brought dramatic changes to the 100-year-old Bascom Hill structure. Currently, construction of the building's new sections may be viewed through a pair of webcams, with views from Helen C. White and Science halls.

(For links to the webcams, see the full article.)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will celebrate its eighth year of an important pipeline for student diversity from noon-2 p.m. on Friday, July 31, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The class of 2009, composed of 74 Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) high school graduates, will be recognized for completing the high school portion of the program and being admitted to UW-Madison for undergraduate studies.

The Art Department has received a $90,000 grant from the Windgate Foundation to establish the “Windgate Resident Artist Program” in the Wood/Furniture Area. The program will bring six artists to campus for semester-long residencies over the next three years, beginning with Katie Hudnall in fall 2009.

“Kathleen T. Horning is one of the most influential librarians you’ll ever meet – and one of the kindest,” writes Nina Lindsay in a School Library Journal article. Horning, who is the director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) – a research library housed in the School of Education, recently was recognized by the American Library Association for her “extraordinary contributions to promoting access to books and encouraging a love of reading for lifelong learning.” In her interview with Lindsay, Horning discusses the journey that brought her to the CCBC, the one book every family should have, and much more.

Julie Underwood returned to her post as dean of the UW-Madison School of Education after serving as UW-Madison’s interim provost for the first half of 2009. Adam Gamoran, who served as interim dean, welcomed Underwood back at the July 15 meeting of the School’s Administrative Council.

Research into low academic achievement for African American children shows that the culture of children and their teachers affects student engagement and learning, and that parental involvement and social networks are important. To gain insight from children’s lived experiences, and to map networks of social support, UW-Madison professor of Human Ecology Jeffrey Lewis and colleague Amy Hilgendorf interviewed 28 African American boys in grades 4-6 in one Wisconsin city. (From the Wisconsin Center for Education Research)

Professional golfer Steve Stricker is giving a boost to student golf instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by designating the university to receive $45,000 through the 2008 Ryder Cup Outreach Program.

The funds, distributed through the Play Golf America University Program, will enable the Physical Education Activity Program in the Department of Kinesiology and the Division of Recreational Sports to expand golf programs at UW-Madison.

More than 40 educators from nine states will attend the fourth annual Hip Hop and Spoken Word Teacher/Educator Institute on campus July 6-10. Winner of the 2007 North American Association of Summer Sessions “Creative and Innovative Program Award,” this institute brings together teachers, professors, community leaders, emcees and activists who use the media of spoken word and hip-hop as relevant and dynamic educational tools to engage students across multidisciplinary curricula.

The Center on Education and Work (CEW) recently launched "Planning for Retirement: Exploring Your Career and Leisure Options," an online, independent-study course using the university's Learn@UW Web site.

According to the stereotypical view, retirement involves ceasing to work and going off, for example, to travel and visit the grandkids. Today, however, baby boomers reaching that stage in their lives have more options, Judy Ettinger, an emerita senior outreach specialist at CEW says. And they don't necessarily stop working.

A group of faculty, students and staff associated with the UW's Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education have been working on Project Summer, which aims to establish relationships, connections and tools to link youth with significant disabilities to employment and other service opportunities in their communities.

Studies by researchers at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) demonstrate that schools in several states have effectively doubled student performance. From these findings, the researchers developed a list of 10 steps schools can take to dramatically improve student performance.

Kenneth Zeichner, the Hoefs-Bascom Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and associate dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Education (NAEd).

Hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni, guests and members of the public attended the Art Department and School of Education's celebration of the opening of the Art Lofts facility during the week of May 5-9, 2009. Highlights included remarks by Provost Julie Underwood, Interim Dean Adam Gamoran, Chancellor Biddy Martin and Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton, along with demonstrations by art alumni Marvin Lipofsky and David Dahlquist. The family of emeritus faculty member Harvey Littleton and Dale Chihuly (by video) reflected on the early days of glass and ceramics on the UW campus.

More that 350 people gathered in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on April 29 for the School of Education’s annual Undergraduate Awards Banquet, where 211 scholarships totaling nearly $400,000 were announced. The banquet provides scholarship recipients and their families the chance to say “thank you” to the people who support their scholarships.

Peggy Choy — dancer, choreographer and teacher — thrives on diversity. While firmly grounded in her Korean-American roots, Choy actively seeks out and engages in collaborations that cut across artistic and cultural boundaries and create experiences of intercultural synergy. Choy, an instructor in UW-Madison’s Dance Program and outreach coordinator for the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, has been named one of the 2009 UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color.

The Art Department, the School of Education and university will celebrate the opening of the Art Lofts, 111 N. Frances St., with a series of events the week of May 5-9, all free and open to the public. These will include tours, demonstrations and student art sales from 1:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

The UW–Madison School of Education is ranked seventh among more than 200 schools of education nationally, with seven of its core programs rated among the top three, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools.

The School of Education is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2009 Distinguished Achievement Awards, the highest honor it bestows upon current faculty and staff.

The School of Education will hold two celebrations in honor of its graduates this spring: a reception and hooding ceremony for Ph.D. and M.F.A. degree candidates on Friday, May 15; and a commencement breakfast for bachelor's and master's degree candidates on Saturday, May 16. Pre-registration is required.

The project to renovate and renew the Education Building is now making visible progress. A webcam has been set up for viewing exterior work on the north side of the building.

The UW-Madison School of Education is joining with partners from the United Kingdom and Australia to offer a course on democracy education this summer at the University of London’s Institute of Education. The course will be taught by faculty from the three institutions.

Science teacher Stephanie Waite (B.S. ’06 in biology and broad field science) is using her experiences in China and the Galapagos Islands to engage students at Racine Park High School in environmental issues, both at home and far beyond. Stephanie credits the School of Education's International Education Conference, which she attended as an undergraduate, with fueling her love for educational travel.

The Singapore Ministry of Education has awarded a four-year $3.5 million contract to the Center on Education and Work (CEW) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education for localizing CEW’s WISCareers and CareerLocker online career-information systems for use in Singapore schools.

After years of planning, the $34 million project to renovate and add to the Education Building on Bascom Hill has reached the construction phase. On January 19, the building was turned over to the general contractor, J.P. Cullen of Janesville, which has begun the on-site work.

Many schoolchildren who have learning disabilities or limited English proficiency receive some form of tutoring after school, but programs too often are staffed with poorly trained volunteers. To address the problem, education associate professor Kimber Malmgren has developed a tutoring program centered on evidence-based reading instructional practices. It’s inexpensive and can be easily adopted by afterschool programs for their own use

Transformation of the old university warehouse on Francis Street to a state-of-the-art facility for Art Department programs began a few years ago with the move of the glass lab and metal sculpture foundry to the building. The latest development – a $9.2 million renovation completed in December – provides a new home for ceramics, papermaking and other areas, plus studio space for more than 60 faculty and graduate students, as well as accessible public spaces where art can be exhibited.

Career development and counseling can provide the best defense in times of economic instability. With the current recession as a backdrop, preeminent experts and practitioners are convening in Madison January 26-28 to share the latest strategies, programs, and best practices in the field of career development.

Is it possible to “make it” as an artist in today’s society? Art Department alumni J.J. Sedelmaier, Brenda Baker and Brian Raffel will share their professional experiences during the last day of the UW–Madison Arts Enterprise Symposium, which runs from Friday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Feb. 1. Also featured at the event will be art professors Aris Georgiades and Gail Simpson, dance professors Li Chiao-Ping and Jin-Wen Yu, and Arts Institute outreach specialist Kate Hewson. Sessions will be held at the UW-Madison Pyle Center.

Patrick Farrell, who has served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since April 2006, will return to the College of Engineering faculty at the end of the fall 2008 semester. Beginning in January, Dean Julie Underwood of the School of Education will serve as interim provost through the full course of the search process, which will begin soon.

Sara Goldrick-Rab and Douglas N. Harris, assistant professors of educational policy studies, are co-directing a groundbreaking study of the long-term effects of financial aid on college students. Participants include nearly 6,000 Wisconsin residents receiving a federal Pell grant while enrolled at each of the 42 public colleges statewide. Many are also grantees of the Fund for Wisconsin Scholars (FFWS), a foundation established by UW-Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge.

Light sculptures designed by Art faculty members Steven Feren and Gail Simpson are being placed along the Dayton Street promenades leading to the Kohl Center. Intended to add color and activity to the plaza area, the 17-foot-tall sculptures consist of a light standard supported by a stainless steel structure and wrapped with ribbons of bronze. Each sculpture contains 200 energy-efficient LED lights that are computer controlled and are capable of generating millions of color variations. The artwork was funded privately by a gift from U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl.

Neither man set out to be an educational leader. But circumstances, opportunities and inspiration led John Wiley and Art Rainwater to two of the most visible education posts in Madison — chancellor of the state’s flagship university and superintendent of the state’s second- largest public school district. Both stepped down from those posts in mid-2008, and are now sharing their experience and knowledge with current and future leaders through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA).

Monica KamalRossa left Wisconsin in late October with her wheelchair and her bicycle to hit the streets in the New York City Marathon. Since injuring her spinal cord in a 2001 skiing accident, she has relied on a trio of wheelchairs to get around. This time, KamalRossa sped around New York City in a handcycle – a recumbent bicycle operated by a two-hand crank.

The UW–Madison School of Education invites faculty, staff, students and the public to join in its celebration of American Education Week, November 16–22.

“Once upon a time, in a dilapidated house that belonged in a second-rate crime novel, a group of UW-Madison graduate (art) students discovered some unwelcome visitors.” Thus begins the article, “50 Years of MFA Studios: A Nooks and Crannies Retrospective,” a special feature that first appeared in the Art Department’s 2008 fall newsletter.

Art professor Truman Lowe recently treated members of the Art Department's Board of Visitors, art faculty and art alumni to an exclusive, pre-opening tour of the exhibition "Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian" at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.

Understanding legal boundaries can make teachers more comfortable and guide them in respectfully balancing legitimate competing interests, says Julie Mead, professor in UW-Madison’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.

A new online career-matching initiative aims to promote job opportunities across Wisconsin for young people and build the state’s information technology workforce. UW-Madison's Center on Education and Work (CEW) helped to develop this resource, which allows Wisconsin companies and organizations to publicize information technology internships to students seeking exciting career opportunities.

“My sisters and I grew up feeling that the way to make our lives meaningful was to make a life where you work in service to others,” says Professor Nancy Kendall, who is spending a year in Mozambique and Malawi to conduct research on children affected by HIV/AIDS.

During her Peace Corps experience a few years ago, Anne Riordan fell in love with a place where winters last nine months and temperatures plummet to 40 degrees below zero. Since then, Riordan has dreamed of returning to Mongolia. She found her chance in 2007 when a Fulbright Fellowship enabled her to go back to the central Asia country to complete research for her master’s degree in special education at UW-Madison.

A national coalition of two dozen multiracial school districts is identifying practices and strategies that show promise in alleviating disparities in student achievement. Now based at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, the Minority Student Achievement Network is focusing its research and development on four areas: mathematics, literacy, teacher-student relationships, and conversations about race.

Spirit and generosity marked UW Day at the Wisconsin State Fair on August 6, when the fair grounds were saturated with red and white. Not only did fair goers enjoy Bucky, the sounds of the UW Marching Band and numerous exhibits, they also had an opportunity to do good deeds by contributing school supplies for children who need them in the Milwaukee public schools.

Dozens of middleschoolers from across the Madison area came to UW-Madison campus in July to attend more than a dozen courses including exercise science, radio production, cartography and entomology as part of a new pre-college program called Movin’ Minds.

Three School of Education graduate students received international travel awards from UW-Madison's Global Studies program.

Nicole Gruter has a story for every object at her yard sale and she wouldn’t let you buy it without hearing the tale.

Researchers are examining the practices and potential of digital media. Constance Steinkuehler and other scholars contend that video games can promote literacy skills and foster learning. And they've set out to show how that can work.

The School of Education will hold two celebrations in honor of its graduates this spring.

Three outstanding alumnae returned to Madison this spring, when each participated in a special day-on-campus to celebrate their achievements and receive the School’s highest honors.

A record-setting 240 undergraduate scholarships, worth a total of nearly $500,000, were announced at the School of Education Undergraduate Honors Banquet, April 30.

Seven members of the School of Education have been selected to receive Distinguished Achievement Awards, the highest honor the School bestows upon current faculty and staff.

With work on one building project underway and construction set to begin early next year on another, the UW–Madison School of Education faces some exciting changes on the horizon.

The UW–Madison School of Education's core programs again this year rank among the very best in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2009 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools.

The public is invited to a memorial service for painter and UW-Madison Art Department faculty member, Gelsy Verna, who unexpectedly died last month.

More than 500 students and faculty from 33 colleges and universities in the Midwest, along with 30 students from Taiwan, will come to campus in March to participate in the North-Central Region American College Dance Conference.

The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) is putting current research on successful schools to good use via two initiatives: an annual conference for practitioners and a new cohort approach to its existing Ph.D. program.

Scholars from UW-Madison and other institutions will meet on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 7 and 8, to discuss the intersections of religion and education in the United States and around the world. "Faith in Schools: Religion and Education in Comparative and International Perspectives," the fifth annual conference sponsored by the UW-Madison Department of Educational Policy Studies, will be held at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. All sessions are free and open to the public.

The Art Department's visiting-artist program is introducing students to professional artists and also providing weekly visiting-artist lectures that are free and open to the public.

The Art Department Faculty Exhibition at the Chazen Museum of Art fills three galleries as well as the museum's entire fourth floor, and showcases the work of 27 faculty, 17 emeritus faculty, and seven affiliates. Faculty members will give a series of talks during the exhibition, which runs from Jan. 26 to Mar. 30. The public is invited to an opening reception at the Chazen on Friday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m.

UW–Madison spent $30 million of externally generated funds on education research in fiscal 2006, more than any other U.S. university, according to the latest figures released by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Most of the education research at UW–Madison resides in the School of Education’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), one of the nation’s oldest and largest university-based research centers.

Educators from area K-12 schools filled the Memorial Union's Great Hall with conversation, laughter and applause during the 2007 Partners in Education Banquet on Tuesday, Nov. 13. A photo gallery accompanies the news article.

Videos, photographs, a book project, and sculptural elements that explore landscape, culture, and technology will be featured in “The Beautiful Lie,” an exhibit by Stephen Hilyard running Dec. 1 through Feb. 17 at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), at the Overture Center.

Construction soon will begin on the next phase of an effort to consolidate all Art Department programs at a single site. Once completed, the Art Lofts - located in a remodeled warehouse next to the Kohl Center - will house all departmental programs except those now located on the sixth and seventh floors of the Humanities Building.

Kinesiology professor Jo-Anne Lazarus is engaged as both researcher and subject in exploring a range of therapies aimed at warding off the progression of the disease.

Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility is the theme of American Education Week 2007, a celebration of all the people – in schools, homes and communities – who work together to help children and young adults achieve. The School of Education will mark the occasion with a full calendar of events, and it invites the public to join in the celebration!

The campus-wide Arts Night Out! celebration (Oct. 13) features a drive-by printing press, Art Department activities for children and adults, lessons in ballroom dancing, and much more.

Research findings just published by occupational therapy professor Mary Schneider and colleagues suggest that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.

The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), which is administered by the UW-Madison School of Education, has received a three-year, $5.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand a campus science education program to five other major research universities.

Months of study and ongoing discussions involving the State of Wisconsin, UW-Madison, the School of Education, and the architectural and engineering firm of Hammel, Green, and Abrahamson, Inc. have produced the basic concept plan for renovating and expanding the Education Building.

Two UW-Madison education assistant professors are studying fantasy leagues in a new project aimed at understanding how both expert and novice players approach the game and what their strategies reveal about how people learn.

Ute Ritschel, a UW-Madison Arts Institute spring 2007 artist in residence, brings together artists from around the world to explore the connection between art and nature.

Some Madison middle school students will have a pretty impressive subject for their “What I did on my summer vacation” essays – developing their own plan for making over the capital city’s most famous street and some of its key neighborhoods.

Professor and department chair Li Li Ji takes students to his native China to learn about their physical education programs.

William P. Morgan, UW-Madison emeritus professor and renowned sports psychologist, and his contributions to the field of exercise psychology have been honored in several ways over the past year, culminating in this year’s Hetherington Award, the highest award bestowed by the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

The Clark W. Hetherington Award – given to Morgan this month at the Academy’s annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona – honors members who have provided outstanding leadership and significant contributions to those fields.

Associate Professor Nancy Mladenoff returns to teach painting after residencies in Norway and the Czech Republic.

Fast forward five years: After picking up sandwiches and chips at the Education Cafe, several education students gather nearby, in a quiet corner of the new Education Building commons area, around a laptop computer to put the finishing touches on an upcoming group presentation.