News from WCER
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.
Postdoctoral Students Train in Mathematical Learning and Instruction
February 22, 2010
The U.S. needs more well-trained education researchers (a) to address questions about the effectiveness of educational programs and policies and (b) to provide an empirical basis for designs of curricula, assessments, instructional approaches, and learning environments.
Millar Named Morgridge Institute Leader
February 15, 2010
WCER Scientist Susan Millar has been appointed to the leadership team for The Morgridge Institute for Research.
Distributing Leadership to Support Instructional Change
February 10, 2010
Discussions of comprehensive school reform and distributed leadership have been dominated by descriptions of what they are and what forms they take.
Artistic Production Spurs Youth Development
February 8, 2010
The study of learning environments that support positive youth development is a growing field in the U.S.
VARC Receives $3.7 M Grant
February 1, 2010
The Value-Added Research Center has been awarded a new $3.7 million grant
Interactive Animations in High School Biology
January 26, 2010
Agile Mind for Biology (AMB) supports the teaching and learning of high school biology content.
New Directions for Mixed-Ability Instruction
January 20, 2010
How can teachers best organize students for instruction? After a century of research on tracking and ability grouping, one might expect a definitive answer to this question.
Evaluation Tools to Inform Foundation Education Reforms
January 18, 2010
Education foundations and their grantees are most effective when grantees fully understand the foundation’s priorities and when foundations correctly assess the impact of their diverse grant activities.
School Psychologists and Evidence-Based Practice
January 11, 2010
With the development of the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement, training psychologists to work in schools is critical, says Thomas R. Kratochwill.
Learning Sciences a Growing Field
January 5, 2010
The Learning Sciences are poised to make great strides in understanding complex human behavior.
CGI Math Encourages Ingenuity and Reasoning
June 15, 2007
Elementary age students bring lots of things to school with them -- besides huge backpacks stuffed with supplies. They bring ingenuity, intuitive knowledge, and mathematical insight. They sometimes amaze their teachers with innovative ways to solve problems. When mathematics teachers link their classroom instruction to students’ intuitive knowledge, students can take classroom instruction a lot farther.
What Will Decrease Educational Inequality?
June 15, 2003
Student’s educational outcomes are boosted or hindered by their families’ socioeconomic background. Although certainly not fair to the student, such inequality is likely to persist throughout the 21st century, despite much rhetoric and a few policies directed against it.
The Pros and Cons of ‘Holding Out’
March 15, 2000
You often hear that statement. But the suggestion is unsubstantiated by research, according to UW-Madison Education Professor Elizabeth Graue and Lehigh University’s James DiPerna. Their recent study challenges conventional wisdom about the value of redshirting and early retention. In fact, some children who are “held out” miss receiving needed attention in areas of learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, and emotional disabilities.
