Counseling Psychology
School of Education

Travis Wright

Associate Professor

travis.wright@wisc.edu


302 Education Building

1000 Bascom Mall

Madison, WI 53706

Wright, Travis

Download CV  

Dr. Travis Wright is the founder/director of the BASES Project, a school and community-based intervention for homeless preschool students, their families, and teachers. Dr. Wright is a nationally recognized expert on resilience and emotionally responsive teaching, especially for children developing in the midst of adversity. Previously, he worked as a school-based mental health counselor, public school teacher, and early childhood educator in Washington, D.D. and Boston Public Schools.

Education

  • CAS (Certificate of Advanced Study) School Adjustment and Mental Health Counseling, Harvard University, 2006
  • EDD Human Development and Psychology, Harvard University, 2006
  • M Ed Human Development and Psychology, Harvard University, 2002
  • BA College Scholars, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 1998

Select Publications

  • Wright, T., Ochrach, C., Blaydes, M., & Fetter, A. (In Press). Pursuing the promise of preschool: An exploratory investigation of the perceptions of parents experiencing homelessness. Early Childhood Education Journal
  • Wright, T., Nankin, I., Boonstra, K., & Blair, E. L. (2019). Changing through relationships and reflection: An exploratory investigation of pre-service teachers’ perceptions of young children experiencing homelessness. Early Childhood Education Journal, 47(3), 297-308.
  • Wright, T. (2018). Beauty in the struggle: Poetry found in the lives of mothers experiencing homelessness. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 49(4), 462-468.
  • Wright, T. (2018). Contesting hegemony: Re-imagining masculinities for early childhood education. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 19(2), 117-130.
  • Wright, T. (2016). On coming out in practicum: An autoethnography of (non) disclosure. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 37(3), 189-202.
  • Wright, T. (2014). Too scared to learn: Teaching young children who have experienced trauma.. Young Children, 69(5), 88-93.
  • Wright, T. (2013). “I keep me safe.” Risk and resilience in children with messy lives. Phi Delta Kappan, 95(2), 39-43.
  • Wright, T. (2011). Countering the politics of class, race, gender, and geography in early childhood education. Educational Policy, 25(1), 240-261.
  • Wright, T. (2010). Learning to laugh: A portrait of risk and resilience in early childhood. Harvard Educational Review, 80(4), 444-463.
  • Wright, T. (2007). On Jorge becoming a boy: A counselor’s perspective. Harvard Educational Review, 75(2), 164-186.

Select Presentations

  • Wright, T. (2018, October). Critical emotional praxis: Encountering teachers’ fears of supporting children experiencing homelessness. Paper presented at the International Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Wright, T. (2018, April). Building BASES (Building Academic, Social, and Emotional Supports) for Young Children Experiencing Homelessness. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY.
  • Wright, T., & Shumpert, J. (2018, April). “It Hurts Too Much to Care”: Teachers’ Fears as Barriers to Supporting Young Children Experiencing Homelessness. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY.
  • Wright, T. (2016, June). Teaching Young Children with Challenging Lives; Reframing Resilience. Keynote/Plenary Address presented at the North American Montessori Association Annual Conference, Long Beach, CA.
  • Wright, T. (2016, May). The Role of School Leaders in Developing Support Structures for Young Children with Challenging Lives. Keynote/Plenary Address presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Development Institute, Baltimore, MD.
  • Wright, T., & Shumpert, J. (2016, April). Teaching from hope: The transformation of early childhood educators’ perceptions of young homeless children. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C..
  • Wright, T., Boonstra, K., & Blair, E. (2016, April). Too Afraid to Teach: Fear and the teaching lives of preservice teachers supporting young homeless children. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C..
  • Wright, T. (2015, June). Leading Development of School-Based Supports for Young Children with Challenging Lives. Keynote/Plenary Address presented at the National Association of Elementary School Principals National Conference, Long Beach, CA.
  • Wright, T. (2015, April). I keep me safe: A portrait of (dis)respect in early childhood. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
  • Wright, T. (2014, April). Contested Masculinities in the Toddler Classroom. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

Select Awards and Honors

  • Community Engaged Scholarship Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, 2017
  • The Beiber Invited Lecture on Education, Bank Street College, 2016
  • The Mithoff Family Invited Lecture on Early Childhood Education, University of Texas, Austin, 2014
  • UW-Madison Wisconsin Idea Baldwin Award, Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, 2014
  • AERA Early Childhood Education and Child Development Research 6/2012 Early Career Award, American Educational Research Association-Early Childhood Education and Child Development Research SIG, 2012