Fall 2026

History of American Education

EDPOL/HISTORY 412 examines the history of education in America from colonization to the present, covering topics like common schools, teacher training, and desegregation.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Walter Stern4.2/5Emma CoffmanMaxwell Greenberg

Summary

1 / 7

The course is reading and writing intensive, requiring multiple papers and a final paper instead of exams. While most reviewers describe the readings as intense, one student reported skipping them entirely and completing work during class.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Sophomore standing

  • Sophomore standing
EDPOL/HISTORY 412

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Sophomore standing

Professors

Fall 2026

Walter Stern

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.93/5 from 14 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.9/5 raw quality · 2.7/5 difficulty · 11 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Walter Stern receives high praise for engaging lectures and genuine care for students, though one reviewer found his teaching style average and noted he read from slides. Most students highlight his passion and helpfulness, while one report describes the course as easy with minimal outside work.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.70 GPA, 92.9% A/AB (n=140 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.82 GPA, 92.0% A/AB (n=100 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.63 GPA, 85.3% A/AB (n=95 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Walter Stern is the current instructor, but reviews for Adam Nelson, William Reese, and Daniel Berman provide historical context. Nelson and Reese were praised for engaging lectures and passion, though Nelson's exams required specific preparation and Reese's heavy reading load was noted. Berman was described as knowledgeable and student-focused with significant paper requirements.

ADAM NELSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2020, Fall 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DANIEL BERMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Fall 2022, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

WALTER STERN is recorded teaching in Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2019, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

WILLIAM REESE is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2018, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction82 / 1002
DIS 303Classroom Instruction19 / 250
DIS 304Classroom Instruction19 / 251
DIS 301Classroom Instruction23 / 251
DIS 302Classroom Instruction21 / 250
LEC 001Classroom Instruction22 / 910
DIS 303Classroom Instruction7 / 230
DIS 304Classroom Instruction6 / 230
DIS 301Classroom Instruction5 / 220
DIS 302Classroom Instruction4 / 220

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Walter Stern's course features engaging lectures and a supportive environment, though the heavy reading and writing workload demands strong analytical skills. Students generally recommend the class for its intellectual value and helpful instruction.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.70 GPA, 90.8% A/AB (n=98 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.63 GPA, 85.3% A/AB (n=95 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.65 GPA, 88.5% A/AB (n=96 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course is reading and writing intensive, requiring multiple papers and a final paper instead of exams. While most reviewers describe the readings as intense, one student reported skipping them entirely and completing work during class.

Lectures are optional but recommended since notes are not posted online. Students value the engaging discussions and pop reflections, though one reviewer characterized the teaching style as merely average.

Topics

  • Rise of common schools in the urban North
  • Education of Native Americans, immigrants, slaves, and free blacks
  • Evolution of teacher training
  • Philosophies of progressive school reform
  • Politics of desegregation, bilingual education, and special education
  • Evolving federal role in American education

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.17 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
EDPOL/HISTORY 412 · Fall 2026

History of American Education

Recorded 2026-09-07
EDPOL/HISTORY 412 · Fall 2026

History of American Education

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:310:005999",
    "course_id": "EDPOL/HISTORY 412",
    "course_uid": "course_7ee6ba9cbe4548a50ef23d2e",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "005999",
    "source_subject_id": "310",
    "title": "History of American Education",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:448:005999",
    "course_id": "EDPOL/HISTORY 412",
    "course_uid": "course_7ee6ba9cbe4548a50ef23d2e",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "005999",
    "source_subject_id": "448",
    "title": "History of American Education",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "b8e41ce950760cc4f03613b17720bef5bbf923a3b275afeed08e963171920b3c",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}