News from WCER

Enhancing Middle School Students’ Representational Fluency

August 30, 2010

A newly published study examines middle algebra school students’ representational fluency, or their ability to reason with and between multiple representations, using tabular, graphical, verbal, and symbolic representations of linear and nonlinear relations.


The Complex Mechanisms of Developing Journalistic Expertise

August 23, 2010

As bloggers and mobile phone eyewitnesses increasingly supplement the “news,” understanding how professional journalists develop their expertise is more important than ever.


Culturally Relevant Teaching for Pre-K Mathematics

August 16, 2010

Students from non-White, non–middle class homes typically face school norms and expectations that don’t align with their experiences outside school.


How Does Desegregation Help Reduce the Achievement Gap?

August 15, 2010

Desegregating schools has long been considered a matter of equity, justice, and improved student achievement.


VARC Partners with Milwaukee Literacy Project

August 8, 2010

WCER’s Value-Added Research Center will serve as external evaluator for the newly funded Milwaukee Community Literacy Project,


New Directions in Value-Added Research

July 26, 2010

WCER’s Value-Added Research Center (VARC) is working with Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools to support and promote effective teaching


Doctoral Research Training Evolves

July 19, 2010

John Rudolph, department of Curriculum & Instruction, is beginning duties as as WCER’s Director of Graduate Training and the Doctoral Research Program.


Careers in Computing for African American Students

July 12, 2010

The U.S. is producing record numbers of Ph.D.s in computing; however, the number of African Americans receiving advanced degrees in computing at the master’s level still lags behind those of other ethnic/racial groups.


Developing as a Writer

July 10, 2010

Students develop as writers over a number of years, interacting with a complex array of influences. Individual and environmental conditions work to advance—or inhibit—students’ abilities to express themselves.


Online Games and Adolescent Reading

July 6, 2010

Video games and participatory cultures have emerged as an important force for student learning, both in and out of school.


Teacher Compensation Knowledge Base

June 28, 2010

The Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) works toward placing talented and capable teachers in classrooms to accomplish the nation’s goals of teaching all students to high standards, and closing the achievement gap.


Tracking Progress of ELL Students

June 23, 2010

The number of English Language Learner (ELL) students continues to increase dramatically in U.S. schools.


FAST Leaders to Convene in Madison

June 14, 2010

Families and schools will work more closely together as a result of next week’s international conference sponsored by Families and Schools Together.


Researchers Using Video Face Options and Challenges

June 10, 2010

Video technology is transforming research in the learning sciences.


Measuring Effects of a Pre-College Engineering Curriculum

June 1, 2010

A new Working Paper by Mitchell Nathan and colleagues illustrates how propensity score matching (PSM) can provide a robust estimate of a program treatment effect on student learning outcomes.