Leema Berland

Leema Berland is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education. She holds a PhD in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University (2008) and a BA in Computer Science from Carleton College (1999). Her research focuses on sensemaking practices across K-12 students, teacher candidates, and antiracist professional learning communities. She emphasizes sociocultural frameworks to understand how learners interpret sensemaking goals within institutional contexts.

Key areas of exploration include the interplay between power dynamics, relationships, and antiracist educational goals. Berland's work bridges theory and practice through collaborative partnerships between schools and universities. She advocates for designing learning environments that align with students' epistemic agency and address systemic inequities in education.

Her recent publications (2022–2025) highlight frameworks for antiracist learning communities, equity in teacher professionalization, and reimagining science education through epistemologically responsive teaching. Berland has presented at major conferences including the International Conference of the Learning Sciences and the National Association for Research in Science Teaching.

Her CV is available for download, and she can be contacted at lberland@wisc.edu in the Teacher Education Building. Research foci include:

• Antiracist educational systems
• Epistemic agency in science classrooms
• Teacher sensemaking about pedagogy
• Sociocultural dimensions of learning

Grants and collaborations are central to her work, though specific funding details are not provided in the text.