Directors
Dr. Jeffrey Evancho
Jeff Evancho is the Director of Partnerships and Equity for the Northgate School District His experience comes from teaching visual arts in the public school system as well as various educational administration experiences in the secondary settings. Jeff specializes in developing innovative programs that serve the diverse needs of students. The programs developed range from arts-based programs to project-based learning, computer science and more; and serving students during the school day as well as after school environments. Throughout his career Jeff has centered his work and passions around the concepts of student agency or empowerment, assessment and culture. In a nutshell, what do we want for our students, how might we design for it and how do we know it's happening? These three questions are the arc of teaching and learning that Jeff has centered his career around.
Dr. Peter Wardrip
Peter Wardrip is an Assistant Professor of STEAM Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on the design of STEAM-based learning experiences, assessment for learning and research-practice partnerships. Peter enjoys playing soccer, euchre and drinking hot cocoa with his family.
Research Fellow
Kailea Saplan
Kailea Saplan (she/they) is a third generation Filipina-American from the island of Hawai’i. They are a Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, working in the UW Community Arts Collaboratory. Her research interests lie at the intersection of arts integration (with emphasis on theatre and drama, and maker-based education), assessment, and educational justice. Kailea holds an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from UW - Madison, and B.A. degrees in Theatre and Philosophy from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Outside of research, Kailea continues to work professionally as a teaching artist and actor, she volunteers on boards for Music Theatre of Madison, Children’s Theatre of Madison, and Wingra School in Madison, and (when there isn’t a pandemic) she skates with Madison Roller Derby.