Educational Psychology

Courtney Bell

Professor, Learning Sciences Area
Director, Wisconsin Center for Education Research

courtney.bell@wisc.edu



Bell, Courtney

Download CV  

Dr. Courtney Bell serves as the Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) and Professor of Learning Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. A former high school science teacher, Courtney earned her doctorate at Michigan State University in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy and a B.A. in Chemistry at Dartmouth College. Courtney is passionate about understanding and improving teaching for historically underserved children. Her interdisciplinary collaborative work is situated at the intersections of research, policy and practice. It spans issues of parental choice, performance assessments of teaching, international comparisons of teaching, teaching quality, teacher learning, teacher education, and the measurement of teaching. Courtney was proud to lead the international development of two observation systems and serve as a PI on the OECD-organized TALIS Video Study (also called the Global Teaching InSights study). This ground-breaking study was the first of its kind to comprehensively measure teaching quality using observations, artifacts, questionnaires, and student outcomes in eight economies. She is currently engaged in both national and international studies of teaching, teacher education, and teacher learning.

Education

  • PhD Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy, Michigan State University, 2004
  • BA Chemistry, Dartmouth College, 1996

Select Publications

  • Bell, C., James, J., Taylor, E., & Wyckoff, J. (2024). Measuring returns to experience using supervisor ratings of observed performance: The case of classroom teachers. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 1-33. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Mathews, H., Stark, K., Jones, N., & Bell, C. (2023). Surfacing Principals’ Beliefs About Instruction for Students With Disabilities: A Qualitative Analysis. Exceptional Children, 90(3), 274-294. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Bell, C., & Gitomer, D. (2023). Building the field’s knowledge of teaching and learning: Centering the socio-cultural contexts of observation systems to ensure valid score interpretation. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 78 Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Jones, N., Bell, C., Brownell, M., Qi, Y., Peyton, D., Pua, D., & Holtzman, S. (2022). Using classroom observations in the evaluation of special education teachers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(3), 429-457. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Bell, C., Castellano, K., & Klieme, E. (2020). Classroom management. Global teaching insights study policy report (Ch. 3) Paris: OECD Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Bell, C., Schweig, J., Castellano, K., Klieme, E., & Stecher, B. (2020). Instruction. Global teaching insights study policy report (Ch. 5) Paris: OECD Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Bell, C., Klieme, E., & Castellano, K. (2020). Social-emotional support. Global teaching insights study policy report (Ch. 4) Paris: OECD Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Bell, C., Qi, Y., Witherspoon, M., Howell, H., & Torres, M. (2020). The TALIS Video Study observation system. Paris: OECD Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Bell, C., Gitomer, D., Savage, C., & McKenna, A. (2019). A synthesis of research on and measurement of STEM teacher preparation. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Gitomer, D., & Bell, C. (2016). Handbook of Research on Teaching, 5th Edition. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association Online Publication/Abstract.

Select Presentations

  • Bell, C. (2023, April - 2023, April). Data sharing across multiple languages and multiple global perspectives. Lecture presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
  • Bell, C. (2022, June - 2022, June). Tradeoffs in the assessment of teaching: validity considerations across common measurement modes. Keynote/Plenary Address presented at the “Theorizing and measuring teaching quality: Instruments, evidence and interpretations”, Hvaregeroi, Iceland.
  • Bell, C. (2021, December - 2021, December). Definitions, metaphors, and modes in the assessment of teaching. Keynote/Plenary Address presented at the GEBF Society for Empirical Educational Research 2021 Annual Meeting, Online. Link
  • Bell, C. (2021, March). The Global Teaching InSights Video Study: Methodology, data, and research opportunities. Presentation for the AERA-OECD Global Forum and the AERA-ICPSR-NSF Peers Data Hub. Link

Select Awards and Honors

  • Outstanding Young Researcher, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, 2007
  • Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Measurement, American Educational Research Association and Educational Testing Service, 2007
  • Teachers for a New Era Fellowship, University of Connecticut, (2005, 2007)
  • E. Robert Stephens Research Award, Association of Educational Service Agencies, 2005
  • Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association, Div. L, 2005
  • Dissertation Fellowship, Spencer Foundation, (2003, 2004)