WCER Working Papers
The WCER Working Paper Series shares research in progress, early findings, and methodological developments from WCER researchers. These papers are intended to support timely dissemination and encourage discussion among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
This series reflects WCER’s commitment to advancing knowledge and supporting evidence-informed decision making.
WCER accepts submissions from UW–Madison researchers with a connection to the WCER mission.
Browse the WCER working papers below, dating back to 2020, covering a wide range of topics investigated by WCER researchers and others at UW–Madison advancing education research.
-
A Case Study Comparison of School Leadership Practice Against the Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning (CALL) Pilot Results
Author: Mark Blitz May 2012, 36 pp. Abstract: This paper presents findings from a piloting of the Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning (CALL) assessment tool. In the third year of a 4-year grant funded by IES, the CALL…
-
District Readiness to Implement Standards-Based Reform for English Language Learners a Decade After No Child Left Behind Act
Author: Naomi Lee April 2012, 11 pp. Abstract: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 formally endorsed standards-based educational reform for English Language Learners (ELLs) by requiring states to: This paper reports results from a 16-state survey of…
-
Gesture as Model Enactment: The Depictive and Causal Roles of Gesture in Mental Model Construction When Learning from Text
Authors: Mitchell J. Nathan and Chelsea V. Johnson March 2012, 46 pp. Abstract: The relationship between gesture production and mental models was explored in three experiments focusing on situation model (SM) formation when learning from a scientific text. Participants…
-
Inquiry-based Science Instruction and the Science Immersion Instructional Reform
Authors: Kimberle A. Kelly, Alexan Chalaganyan, Erika Hernandez January 2012, 9 pp. Abstract: The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) engaged in an elementary science instructional reform in Grades 4 and 5 from 2004 to 2009. An experimental study…
-
Investigating the Antecedents to Instructors’ Self-Efficacy for Teaching: Implications for Pedagogical Reform
Authors: Matthew T. Hora, Joseph Ferrare January 2012, 30 pp. Abstract: The antecedents of faculty self-efficacy beliefs for teaching undergraduates are examined using thematic analysis of interview data (n=56) and structural equation modeling of survey data (n=436). Results indicate…
-
Practice-Based Evidence for Children and Adolescents: Advancing the Research Agenda in Schools
Authors: Thomas R. Kratochwill, Kimberly Eaton-Hoagwood, Anne E. Kazak, John R. Weisz, Korey Hood, Luis A. Vargas, Gerard A. Banez December 2011, 14 pp. Abstract: The American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) for Children and…
-
“What’s the Science Behind It?” The Interaction of Engineering and Science Goals, Knowledge, and Practices in a Design-Based Activity
Authors: Mary Leonard, Sharon J. Derry October 2011, 62 pp. Abstract: Design-based science curricula have sprung up in middle- and high-school science classrooms, attracted by the promise of increased student motivation and improved learning outcomes from providing real-world, engineering…
-
Changing Demographics in the Schools: Wisconsin’s New Latino Diaspora
Authors: Rebecca Lowenhaupt, Eric Camburn August 2011, 15 pp. Abstract: This paper presents results from a demographic analysis of enrollment patterns in Wisconsin’s New Latino Diaspora. Across the country, shifting immigration patterns are rapidly changing the demographics of schools…
-
The Mismeasure of Boys: Reading and Online Videogames
Author: Constance Steinkuehler July 2011, 16 pp. Abstract: This paper reports on a series of four studies to argue that video games are a solution to, rather than a cause of, the problem of adolescent boys and reading. Results…
-
Teaching Assessment for Teacher Human Capital Management: Learning From the Current State of the Art
Authors: Anthony T. Milanowki, Herbert G. Heneman III, Steven M. Kimball March 2011, 45 pp. Abstract: This paper reports on a study of several prominent systems for assessing teaching practice: the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, the Continuum of Teacher…
Other Publications
Browse more publications from WCER researchers, including journal articles, books, and chapters focused on evidence-based education research.
Explore & Engage
Resources
Connect
WCER welcomes inquiries from partners, researchers, policymakers, and community organizations.