Courtney Bell

Courtney Bell is a Professor of Learning Sciences and Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work bridges research, policy, and practice, focusing on teaching quality, teacher education, and equitable educational outcomes for underserved students.

Education: PhD in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy from Michigan State University (2004); B.A. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College (1996).

Research Interests: Courtney’s interdisciplinary research examines parental choice policies, performance assessments of teaching, international comparisons of teaching practices, and the socio-cultural contexts of observation systems. She has led global initiatives like the OECD TALIS Video Study, which measured teaching quality across eight economies using observational data and student outcomes.

Awards & Honors: Notable recognitions include the Outstanding Young Researcher Award (2007), Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Measurement (2007), and multiple dissertation awards.

Advising & Grants: Courtney has advised numerous collaborative projects, including the development of observation systems for teacher evaluation. Her grants support international studies on teaching practices and special education evaluation.

Labs & Teams: As WCER Director, she oversees multidisciplinary teams advancing education research through initiatives like the Global Teaching InSights study and evidence-based policy frameworks.