edpsych.education.wisc.eduUW-Madison School of Education - Educational Psychology department

Skip to main content U niversity of W isconsin –Madison UW Crest Educational Psychology UW-Madison School of Education Search Menu open menu close About Academics Expand Collapse Human Development Learning Sciences Quantitative Methods School Psychology Master of Science for Professional Educators Graduate Minor in Educational Psychology Education and Educational Services (EES) Certificate Program Educational Psychology Student Association Research Admissions Clinics Expand Collapse School Psychology Training Clinic (SPTC) Counseling Psychology Training Clinic (CPTC) Student Assessment Services (SAS) Giving News Expand Collapse Awards & Recognitions Profiles Features Dept Newsletter Past Dissertation Defenses More News People Expand Collapse Prospective Students Faculty Administration Current Students Recent Graduates Department Information Visiting Scholars & Postdoctoral Researchers School of Education Our mission is to advance education-related theory and methodology; to improve knowledge about the biological, psychological, technological, and social processes of learning, development, and mental health in diverse populations; and to enhance learning and mental health in educational and community contexts through innovative educational interventions and effective prevention/ intervention programs. OUR TOP-RANKED PROGRAM UW-Madison’s Department of Educational Psychology is regularly ranked as one of the top programs in its field in U.S. News & World Report . “Our reputation is built on the faculty’s skill in conducting sophisticated and meaningful research — that is, research that has strong theoretical foundations, advanced research designs, and practical implications for educational practice,” says Ed Psych Department Chair Brad Brown. “Our faculty members are involved in studies of bullying, the fundamentals of math learning, use of technology to assist in learning and instruction, programs to inspire early reading, elements of successful family-school partnerships in rural areas, instruction for youths with autism, the adjustment of ethnic minority students to predominantly white college environments — a remarkable diversity of critical issues in education.” SCHOOL PSYCH LAUNCHES NEW EdS MASTERS PROGRAM Beginning in Fall 2019, the department’s School Psychology program will begin enrolling students for a new Master of Science (MS) Educational Specialist Certificate program. For this MS Educational Specialist Certificate in School Psychology, students will complete the program in 3 years (which includes 2 years of coursework and a 1-year internship), as opposed to the 5 years required in the PhD program. Graduates of the Educational Specialist (EdS) Certificate program will be prepared to work in schools and related educational settings as school psychologist practitioners and will be eligible for licensure as a school psychologist by the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction. Employment prospects for school psychologist practitioners are accelerating. Of all psychologist specializations, job prospects for school psychologists are among the best. For more information about the EdS Certificate program and program application instructions, click here . EXPLORE A GRADUATE MINOR IN ED PSYCH Our minor program will expand your understanding of how individuals learn, processes of human development, research methods and statistics, and/or how to enhance learning and adjustment in school settings. Find more info here . For updates about our program, events and more, find us on Facebook . Spotlight News ED PSYCH PROFESSORS CREATE NEW RURAL EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTER Department Profs. Craig Albers and Andy Garbacz have teamed up with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research to create a new program that will focus on “rigorous, sophisticated, and interdisciplinary research that is responsive to needs identified by rural schools and communities.” According to a WCER article announcing its creation, the Rural Education Research & Implementation Center , or RERIC (rare-ik) — is “a first-of-its-kind center in Wisconsin dedicated to improving educational outcomes for rural students, families and schools through rigorous, partnership-based research.” The article continues: “In building capacity for RERIC, the co-directors have operated on two guiding principles: establish trust with rural residents and education leaders, and to listen. ‘We know from Katherine Cramer’s book, ‘The Politics of Resentment,’ how crucial it is to establish trust with rural communities. We’ve made it a priority to talk to people in rural Wisconsin, get to know them and hear their challenges.’ Albers says the response has been very positive. “People tell us, ‘Thanks for recognizing that we’re here.’ “According to UW‒Madison’s Applied Population Laboratory , 77 percent of Wisconsin school districts are rural or town districts. However, their unique needs have mostly been overlooked in policy and research, says Jennifer Seelig , RERIC’s assistant director whose award-winning, year-long ethnographic study of a rural school and community in Northern Wisconsin helped inform the approach that RERIC has taken to establishing rural research partnerships.” Read the entire WCER article here . SHERIDAN RECEIVES FIRST DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD Dr. Susan Sheridan recently became the inaugural recipient of the Department’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Sheridan, who earned her PhD here in ’89, is the director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools and the George Holmes University Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She received the award after giving a presentation on her work to a packed room of Ed Psych faculty, students and others from the campus community. Specifically, her talk highlighted her research on Teachers and Parents as Partners (previously known as conjoint behavioral consultation), a family-school partnership intervention that supports children’s development by engaging families, strengthening family-school connections, and building parent and teacher competencies. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sheridan on the award and thanking her for her many years of groundbreaking research and inspiring service to our field! SCHOOL PSYCH FACULTY AWARDED NEW STUDENT LEADERSHIP GRANT Albers, Garbacz, and Kratochwill Awarded OSEP Training Grant to Prepare School Psychology Doctoral Students for Leadership Careers in Academia School Psychology faculty members Craig Albers and Andy Garbacz, in addition to School Psychology Professor-Emeritus Tom Kratochwill, were awarded a 5-year, $1.25 million U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) Preparation of Leadership Personnel training grant. The project, entitled Preparing School Psychologists to be the Next Generation of Leaders in School Psychology Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Disabilities, will provide five years of student funding and support for up to six school psychology doctoral students interested in pursuing careers in academia. The program will emphasize the development of expertise in evidence-based prevention programs for use with diverse children at risk for disabilities, high-need children with disabilities, and high-need schools and districts. Trainees will receive in-depth training in research, scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and supervision as well as prevention science and evidence-based prevention practices. “This training grant opportunity addresses two areas of tremendous need within school psychology. The first is the need to address the faculty shortages that exist within school psychology. The second is the need for faculty trained in prevention and early intervention practices, who will then assist in training the next generation of practicing school psychologists,” explains Albers. “This training opportunity will provide unique and explicit training in both of these areas. We’re confident that graduates of...