News from WCER
Focusing on the Science in Science Explanations
October 7, 2013
To make science education reform a reality, we would benefit from a clearer vision of what scientific explanation really is, and does.
Grade Inflation? Probably Not
October 1, 2013
Grodsky challenges the definition of grade inflation as merely "increases in grade point average." He emphasizes the larger "signaling power" of grades.
“Learning English” vs Academic Success
September 30, 2013
For years we've heard debates about whether teachers should use bilingual or English-Only instruction when teaching English Language Learners (ELLs).
2013 MSAN Student Conference Seeks to Give Students “Courage to Act”
September 25, 2013
Hundreds of high school students from across the country are convening in Amherst, Mass. from Sept. 25-28 for the 2013 Minority Student Achievement Network Student Conference, a gathering designed to develop student leaders dedicated to closing academic achievement gaps in the nation’s schools.
Long-time WCER Researcher Nystrand Returns for One More CLASS
September 24, 2013
Martin Nystrand first came to WCER in 1984, when he brought his expertise in dialogic organization of discourse into a multi-pronged, multi-disciplinary study of classroom conversations between students and teachers. Now, almost 30 years later, Nystrand has come out of retirement to work on a project that will create a technological tool that will make data collection inside classrooms cheaper and easier for the next generation of education researchers.
Recreational Computer Use Can Benefit Students
September 23, 2013
UW-Madison education professor Matthew Berland says that using computers for fun and video gaming is associated with positive effects on high school students' reading and mathematics achievement test scores.
Meyer, Jackson to Serve on Panels in Washington, DC
September 20, 2013
Wisconsin Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB) director Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson and executive director of the Value-Added Research Center (VARC) Rob Meyer will be featured panelists at two separate conferences in Washington DC in the coming days.
Larger Ethnic Diversity Can Benefit Students
September 16, 2013
High schools that have large, rather than small or moderate, amounts of ethnic diversity can have positive effects on students' peer experiences.
WCER Graduate Students Present Research Projects
September 10, 2013
The Department of Educational Psychology’s First-Year Poster Presentation featured several posters by graduate students of WCER researchers.
WIDA Researchers Bring Language Testing Ideas to South Korea and Saipan
September 9, 2013
Creating tests for students is a tricky business under any circumstances. When the students taking the test aren’t native speakers of the language the test is in, the task gets quite a bit more complicated.
Behavioral Support Should be Culturally Responsive
September 3, 2013
A practice called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) aims to help students—and schools—by offering a supportive and predictable school-wide social and academic environment.
Retention and Attainment at Minority-Serving Institutions
September 3, 2013
Clifton Conrad and colleague Marybeth Gasman (University of Pennsylvania) identify and elevate exemplars of student success at minority serving institutions.
Hora Lands NSF Grant to Further Examine STEM Skills Gap
August 26, 2013
Matthew Hora, an assistant scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, was recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to examine the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – or STEM – skills gap.
Students’ Group Work Affected by Gender Composition
August 26, 2013
Students may learn more in mixed-gender groups than when they work solely with members of their own gender.
Postdoctoral Training Program in Mathematical Instruction
August 26, 2013
Many doctoral programs in math education boost students' skills in qualitative research, but lack sufficient focus on quantitative methods and in data analysis techniques.
