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.
-
Visual Display and Co-Expressivity as Students Strive for Intersubjectivity in a Spatial Reasoning Task
Authors: Mitchell J. Nathan and Billie Eilam October 2005, 10 pp. Abstract: This paper explores the role of co-expressivity of drawing, speech, and gesture as sixth graders strive for intersubjectivity in their attempts to communicate solutions to a spatial…
-
The New Instructional Leadership: Creating Data-Driven Instructional Systems in Schools
Authors: Richard Halverson, Jeffrey Grigg, Reid Prichett, Chris Thomas September 2005, 37 pp. Abstract: The recent demand for schools to respond to external accountability measures challenges school leaders to create school instructional systems that use data to guide the…
-
Epistemography and the Participant Structures of a Professional Practicum: A Story Behind the Story of Journalism 828
Author: David Williamson Shaffer September 2005, 29 pp. Abstract: This paper looks at the participant structures of a learning environment and proposes an alternative level of analysis for understanding how frameworks of participation help develop frameworks for thinking. Building…
-
Before Every Child Is Left Behind: How Epistemic Games Can Solve the Coming Crisis in Education
Authors: David Williamson Shaffer, James Paul Gee September 2005, 18 pp. Abstract: In his recent bestseller The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman argues that countries like the United States can no longer compete in the global economy on the basis…
-
Tool-for-thoughts: Reexamining Thinking in the Digital Age
Authors: David Williamson Shaffer, Katherine A. Clinton September 2005, 22 pp. Abstract: In this paper, we argue that new computational tools problematize the concept of thought within current sociocultural theories of technology and cognition by challenging the traditional position…
-
Multisubculturalism: Computers and the End of Progressive Education
Author: David Williamson Shaffer August 2005, 22 pp. Abstract: Multiculturalism is an essential tool for democratic citizenship in a world made ever more closely interconnected by information technologies. In this paper, I propose a model for progressive multicultural education…
-
Video Games and the Future of Learning
Authors: David Williamson Shaffer, Kurt R. Squire, Richard Halverson, and James Paul Gee June 2005, 13 pp. Abstract: Will video games change the way we learn? We argue here for a particular view of games — and of learning…
-
Studio Mathematics: The Epistemology and Practice of Design Pedagogy as a Model for Mathematics Learning
Author: David Williamson Shaffer June 2005, 50 pp. Abstract: This paper examines how middle school students developed understanding of transformational geometry through design activities in Escher’s World, a computationally rich design experiment explicitly modeled on an architectural design studio.…
-
Cost Analysis in Educational Decision Making: Approaches, Procedures, and Case Examples
Authors: Jennifer L. White, Craig A. Albers, James C. DiPerna, Stephen N. Elliott, Thomas R. Kratochwill, and Andrew T. Roach March 2005, 29 pp. Abstract: Cost analysis has become an important educational decision-making tool in recent years, as educators…
-
Alignment Analysis and Standard-Setting Procedures for Alternate Assessments
Authors: Andrew T. Roach, Stephen N. Elliott September 2004, 22 pp. Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the methods and results of alignment analyses and standard-setting procedures used in investigations conducted during the development of alternate assessments in…
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.