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.
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Unpacking an Engineering Practicum: Building Engineers, One Participant Structure at a Time
Author: Gina Navoa Svarovsky April 2010, 23 pp. Abstract: In response to industry’s demands for better-prepared engineering graduates, capstone design courses have been included in undergraduate engineering programs for over three decades. These practicum experiences, typically encountered during the…
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System-Wide Reform in Science: The Impact of District and School Context Part I
Authors: Eric J. Osthoff, Vansa Shewakramani, Kimberle Kelly February 2010, 26 pp. Abstract: This paper (Part I of II) explores the impact of district and school contexts on the implementation of curriculum reform. The reform in question is an…
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Desegregation and the Achievement Gap: Do Diverse Peers Help?
Author: Jane Cooley February 2010, 58 pp. Abstract: Understanding peer effects is critical to evaluating the effect of public school segregation on the achievement gap. This paper develops a new approach to identifying the effect of peer behavior on…
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Artistic Production Processes as Venues for Positive Youth Development
Author: Erica Halverson February 2010, 19 pp. Abstract: The study of learning environments that support positive youth development is a growing field in the United States. This article describes one type of learning environment where youth have the opportunity…
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Designing and Testing Evaluation Tools to Inform Foundation Education Reforms and Build Grantee Capacity
Authors: Steven M. Kimball, Rachel Lander, Christopher A. Thorn, Katie Herrem January 2010, 63 pp. Abstract: This paper reports on results from the pilot test of evaluation guidelines and related tools from the comprehensive evaluation of education grant-making by…
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Can Achievement Peer Effect Estimates Inform Policy? A View from Inside the Black Box
Author: Jane Cooley September 2009, 41 pp. Abstract: Empirical studies of peer effects rely on the assumption that peer spillovers can be measured through observables. However, in the education context, many theories of peer spillovers center around unobservables, such…
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The Development of Habitus Over Time
Author: Catherine Compton-Lilly August 2009, 32 pp. Abstract: A case study of one low-income African American child, Peter Horner, is used to explore how children accumulate various forms of writing capital. Horner’s development was tracked over 10 years, from…
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Tracking and Inequality: New Directions for Research and Practice
Author: Adam Gamoran August 2009, 21 pp. Abstract: The practice of tracking and ability grouping—the division of students into separate tracks, classes, and groups for instruction based on their purported interests and abilities—has long been debated. Evidence from decades…
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A Final Case Study of SCALE Activities at California State University, Northridge: How Institutional Context Influenced a K–20 STEM Education Change Initiative
Authors: Matthew T. Hora, Susan B. Millar June 2009, 82 pp. Abstract: This qualitative case study reports on processes and outcomes of the National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded System-Wide Change for All Learners and Educators (SCALE) project at the California…
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The Challenges of Producing Evidence-Based Claims: An Exploratory Study of NSF’s Math and Science Partnership Community
Authors: Matthew T. Hora, Susan B. Millar, Jessica Arrigoni, Kerry Kretchmar June 2009, 53 pp. Abstract: This paper describes the analysis of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program’s January 2008 Learning Network Conference (LNC).…
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Browse more publications from WCER researchers, including journal articles, books, and chapters focused on evidence-based education research.
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