Faculty News

Educators collect and use data on a daily basis to make decisions about how to improve teaching and learning. Yet it’s not enough to simply use data in decision-making; the data used must be sound, interpreted and used appropriately.

Sheila Valencia, a nationally-recognized scholar of literacy assessment, instruction and policy and University of Washington College of Education professor, has been named a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

Many people cling to the ideal of “the school” as the great equalizer, a place where Americans are made and equal opportunity is realized.

Yet “the school” has been and continues to be an agent in oppression argues Joy Williamson-Lott, a professor of the history of education at the University of Washington College of Education. Throughout history, each time communities of color have made progress toward equal educational opportunity, a major societal push-back has caused the loss of gains that appeared won.

Learning scientists from the University of Washington and the University of Colorado Boulder, along with educators, are embarking on a national effort to make science learning more coherent and equitable.

Two math educators at the University of Washington College of Education co-authored the most read blog post of 2016 on the Teaching Channel’s Tchers’ Voice blog.

Computer science skills are becoming increasingly important not only to national innovation, but also to individual success and career mobility. The projected demand for employees with computer science skills far outstrips the projected number of students who will be trained with these competencies.

What started as a practical problem to solve—how to traverse a mountain stream without getting wet—morphed into a long-time education researcher’s reflection on what it means to be an educator and professor of education.

The power of play in unlocking the creative potential of every learner will be the focus of the University of Washington College of Education’s EDU Talks event on Nov. 3.

During a fast-paced program, nine UW faculty members will share their compelling discoveries about play and how it can open new opportunities for all children to explore their world, overcome challenges and thrive. Each presenter has five minutes and one slide to share their research related to play.

For the past several years, research on effective intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has looked at the role that typically developing children play in the social learning of children with ASD. This approach asserts that by integrating children with ASD with their typically developing peers, they can practice and develop social skills in a natural setting.

The daughter of educators, Teddi Beam-Conroy brings more than 20 years of experience as a K-12 educator in Wisconsin, Arizona, Minnesota and Texas to her new role as director of the University of Washington’s Elementary Teacher Education Program.