University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education

UW-Madison School of Education

Introduction

The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education is consistently ranked one of the top schools of education in the nation. Although teacher education has been offered since the university’s founding in 1848, the School itself officially started in 1930. Now composed of eight distinct academic departments, it is the third largest school or college within the UW. U.S. News & World Report rated the graduate program seventh in the country overall (tied with the University of Pennsylvania), with three departments—Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Psychology and Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis—receiving the number one ranking in 2006. Julie K. Underwood became the School’s dean in August 2005.

Departments

Eight departments make up the School of Education. The largest department, Curriculum & Instruction, offers teacher certification for undergraduates as well as masters and Ph.D. programs. Students can also earn a bachelors, masters and Ph.D. through the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education. Art, the second-largest department, has undergraduate and graduate programs in the areas of art education, graphics, the 2-D area and the 3-D area. The Department of Kinesiology has three undergraduate and seven graduate areas of specialization. The Dance Program (considered part of Kinesiology) was the first of its kind at any American university and is only for undergraduates. The other four departments—Counseling Psychology, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, Educational Policy Studies, Educational Psychology—are designed specifically for masters and Ph.D. students.

Facilities

Because of its wide range of departments, the School of Education is housed in many buildings throughout the UW-Madison campus. The Education Building, located in the heart of campus on Bascom Hill, was built in 1900 and originally housed the College of Mechanics and Engineering. Thanks to a generous $31 million gift from alumni Tashia and John Morgridge in 2004, the building is scheduled to be completely renovated by the end of 2010. The George Mosse Humanities Building is home to the Art Department, which has additional studio and gallery space scattered around campus. Kinesiology is housed in the Natatorium, with Occupational Therapy in the Medical Sciences Building; Dance is located in Lathrop Hall; Curriculum & Instruction is in the Teacher Education Building; Educational Psychology and Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis are in the Educational Sciences Building; and Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education is located at 432 N. Murray St.

Journals and publications

Three times a year, the School’s External Relations Office publishes a newsletter, Campus Connections, for alumni and friends of the School. This newsletter is sent to over 40,000 alumni in the fall, winter and spring.

Notable faculty, past and present

Michael Apple, leading educational theorist

Gloria Ladson-Billings, leading educational theorist

Harvey Littleton, founder of the American studio glass movement

Notable alumni

Jane Kaczmarek, actress, Malcolm in the Middle

Mark Tauscher, football player, Green Bay Packers

Dale Chihuly, glass artist

External links

* [http://www.education.wisc.edu UW-Madison School of Education]
* [http://www.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin-Madison]