News from WCER

Assessing English Language Learners in Secondary Schools

May 17, 2010

WCER’s FLARE project helps secondary school teachers measure the progress of English Language Learners in academic classes.


ITP Fellow Wins Best Graduate Student Paper Award

May 10, 2010

At last week’s annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association ITP Fellow Anna Haskins received the Sociology of Education Special Interest Group's "Best Graduate Student Paper" award.


Surveys of Learning Reveal Strengths, Weaknesses

May 10, 2010

Over the past two decades, large-scale surveys have generated a wealth of generalizable evidence on instruction. But until recently, this vast body of research has not been summarized systematically.


Measuring Effects of Social Capital

May 3, 2010

Children’s social capital rests on the trust and shared expectations embedded in their networks of friends, parents, and teachers.


Facilitating Student Learning in Engineering

April 24, 2010

A new paper by Gina Svarovsky presents an ethnographic study of an engineering practicum.


Learning About Value-Added

April 19, 2010

WCER's Value-Added Research Center (VARC) offers tutorials to help get you up to speed in value-added assessment.


Summer Academies for ELL Educators

April 13, 2010

WIDA will host 3 summer academies for teachers and trainers of teachers of ELLs.


Using Teacher Performance Assessments For Human Capital Management

April 10, 2010

What aspects of teaching most influence student learning? What specific local strategies most improve student achievement?


Video Collaborative Supports Professional Development

April 5, 2010

Sharon Derry and colleagues support the practice and development of teachers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) with the Video Mosaic Collaboratory.


Helping Students Understand Proofs

March 29, 2010

Students often have difficulties understanding mathematical proofs. Recent calls for a stronger focus on proof and justification in the middle grades have led to changes in curriculum and in teaching.


What Makes Schools Work

March 22, 2010

John Smithson and colleagues are analyzing how teachers in about 150 schools teach grades 2-8 mathematics.


VARC Featured in NY Public Schools Training Video

March 15, 2010

WCER’s Value-Added Research Center is helping New York City schools better measure teacher contributions to student achievement.


A New Era for the Strategic Management of Human Capital

March 10, 2010

Over the past 18 months educators have seen the national education reform agenda transformed. Novel ideas and unique strategies have been placed on the national docket for serious consideration. This transformation includes a focus on developing talent and managing human capital, a core emphasis of the education agenda of President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.


The Mathematics of Space and Motion

March 8, 2010

Martha Alibali and Mitchell Nathan are leading a team of three university groups investigating the learning and teaching of the mathematics of space and motion.


District and School Contexts Affect Science Curriculum Reform

March 1, 2010

National and state contexts affect curriculum reform by shaping district policies and resource allocation.