News from WCER

Understanding Peer Bullying

June 19, 2012

Bullying is a serious health concern for middle school students.


Rebuilding and Reforming Higher Education in Iraq

June 15, 2012

In their efforts to help rebuild the nation, Iraqi universities emphasize professional programs like engineering, medicine, and law, but also support humanities and the liberal arts. But rebuilding and reform are taking place in the midst of heightened political turmoil.


Learning to Speak the Language

June 15, 2012

A student’s English language proficiency affects his or her school experience in fundamental ways. This holds especially true for English Learner (EL) students, whose life trajectories are shaped by how effectively teachers evaluate their proficiency in academic English and content knowledge.


Wisconsin Statewide Value-Added Project

June 11, 2012

School districts participating in the Wisconsin Statewide Value-Added project receive value-added estimates based on results from the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam for their district and their schools compared to the state average.


Grab This Generation

June 4, 2012

In the current issue of BOSS Magazine, Gloria Ladson-Billings discusses the need to “grab this generation” of students.


African American Students and Reading Interventions

May 28, 2012

Cathy Compton-Lilly finds that African American students and European American students who receive a complete Reading Recovery program have statistically comparable success rates, although a gap remains.


The Persistence of Gaps in Student Achievement

May 21, 2012

The purpose of Critical Race Theory (CRT) is social justice.


Hot Topics, Civil Discussions

May 15, 2012

If you watch TV political news coverage, listen to talk radio, or read blog comments, you’re exposed to lots of opinion. It’s often heated, and often uncivil. Have we lost the capacity for thoughtful debate?


Learning to Speak the Language

May 14, 2012

Federal accountability provisions require states to establish accountability systems for English language programs in school districts that support EL students.


Download Library Serves ELL Teachers

May 7, 2012

WIDA’s download library offers dozens of reports, guidelines, and other resources, many at no cost.


Documenting Cultural Changes in Africa

May 1, 2012

UW–Madison education professor Amy Stambach is fascinated by the many ways that education and religion intersect.


Learning with Latin American Colleagues

May 1, 2012

UW Madison education professor Mitchell Nathan won’t say whether he prefers Argentina or Chile, but he will tell you that both locations have afforded stimulating discussions with colleagues who work at the intersection of neuroscience and education.


Implementing District-Driven Instructional Reform

April 30, 2012

At the recent annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association Adam Gamoran and fellow panelists discussed models for scaling up innovations to a greater number of more diverse sites. Gamoran discussed a 5-year NSF-funded project called SCALE, an elementary science and math reform initiative implemented in the Los Angeles Unified School District.


Blogging, Pre- and Post-tenure

April 23, 2012

Sara Goldrick-Rab discusses the opportunities and challenges of using social media as a pre- and post-tenure faculty member.


Assessing Teaching Practice

April 15, 2012

Done well, evaluation of teacher performance has the potential to improve student achievement. Done indifferently, it has the potential to stagnate student achievement.