Conference explores psychosocial factors, student achievement

The non-academic factors that have a bearing on student achievement and how to foster the psychosocial development of learners will be the focus of the Conference on Challenges in Education on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 28-29.

The conference, “An Introduction to the Psychosocial Factors in Student Achievement,” will be held at the Best Western InnTowner, 2424 University Ave. Sponsors are the School of Education, the Department of Counseling Psychology and the Office of Education Outreach.

The event is geared to K-12 teachers and administrators, school counselors, psychologists, social workers, pupil services staffs, directors of instruction and school board members.

Presenters will introduce strategies for creating caring school communities, discuss the importance of providing positive opportunities for academic, personal, social and emotional growth, and show how to develop emotional intelligence in the curriculum.

In his keynote address, Hardin L.K. Coleman, professor and chair of the Department of Counseling Psychology, will discuss ways to improve student achievement, and will show the importance of understanding students both as cultural beings and as individuals.

On the second day, Jeffrey Lewis will address “Ecological Characteristics of Productive Classrooms for Urban Children.” Basing his presentation on an analysis of interactions between teachers and students in two after-school laboratories in California, Lewis will discuss factors that appear to help low-income urban children establish positive social identities as learners and productive classroom behaviors.

The conference is part of the Certificate of Completion in Psychosocial Factors in Student Achievement. Conference attendees may earn one continuing education credit or up to three UW–Madison credits for added work done in connection with this conference.

For more information, contact Julie Seaborg at (608) 262-5315 or seaborg@education.wisc.edu, or visit the Certificate Programs from the Office of Education Outreach website.