"The Forum Guide to Strategies for Education Data Collection and Reporting (SEDCAR)" was created to provide timely and useful best practices for education agencies that are interested in designing and implementing a strategy for data collection and reporting, focusing on these as key elements of the larger data process. It builds upon…

In recent years, career and technical education (CTE) programs that include quality work-based learning (WBL) opportunities for students have gained significant traction among educators, policymakers, and stakeholders as an effective way to prepare students for the labor market. However, a lack of data on WBL--which many CTE students participate…

Districts across the country are facing severe shortages of teachers--especially in certain subjects (math, science, special education, career and technical education, and bilingual education) and in specific schools (urban, rural, high-poverty, high-minority, and low-achieving). The severity of the teacher shortage problem varies significantly by…

Founded in 1964 and housed within the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education, the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) is one of the nation's oldest and most highly regarded education research and development centers. While there is notable diversity in the focus areas and methodological approaches of WCER scholars whose…

Research on variation in cognitive abilities has focused largely on their genetic or experiential sources and on their economic consequences. This article takes a broader look at the consequences of cognitive ability--IQ--across the life course. Contrary to received wisdom, the effects of IQ on economic success are almost entirely mediated by…

This report summarizes work conducted to date through the Senior Urban Education Research Fellowship (SUERF) awarded by the Council of the Great City Schools to the Value-Added Research Center (VARC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for work in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). VARC has utilized its Fellowship award, entitled…

Among the great strengths of a policy-oriented foundation like Joyce is the willingness to take a long view, to be patient investors in ideas that take time to have impact, and to take chances on projects that may not work out. But in times of crisis, Joyce team and partners also have an obligation to be responsive to immediate challenges in their…

A collaborative, statistics education research project (Lovett, 2001) is discussed. Some results of the project were applied in the computer lab sessions of my elementary statistics course. I detail the process of applying these research results, as well as the use of knowledge surveys. Furthermore, I give general suggestions to teachers who want…

During the fall of 1976, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) initiated a statewide study of educational needs as they related to the missions of the DPI. Part of this study, called the Statewide Assessment of Educational Needs (SWAN), was a citizens' opinion poll designed to review state-level priorities. Three topics were…

The U.S. Department of Education recently held a competition for grants to support states in their efforts to build longitudinal data systems to track and analyze student and school performance. The Value-Added Research Center (VARC) at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, proposed a Tri-State Partnership…

The hypothesis of this study was that installation and use of seat belts in all large school buses are needed to prevent injuries and deaths to children in accidents as a result of no seat belts. Basic questions and summary arguments for and against the use of seat belts are listed. An analysis of research studies done on seat belts in school…

Produced as part of the Statewide Assessment of Educational Needs (SWAN) intended to study statewide educational needs as they relate to the mission of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), this technical report presents the methods and findings of the administrator survey. The administrator survey was done to examine the…

Five research objectives were identified by the Wisconsin State Board for Vocational, Technical and Adult Education in a project designed to evaluate the impact of vocational education research and exemplary projects on educational practices in Wisconsin: (1) An assessment of the impact of State funded research and exemplary activities to a…

This questionnaire study surveyed the attitudes of public school administrators regarding several topics associated with teacher preparation programs. These foci included: (1) the content of the letter of reference written for student teachers and interns by cooperating teachers (in this study, cooperating teachers are those practicing teachers…

THIS REPORT ON EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN THE MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUMMARIZES THE EFFORTS BEING MADE IN THE SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE EQUAL AND QUALITY EDUCATION. THE SECTION ON CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION CONTAINS REVIEWS OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL PROGRAM, COMPENSATORY ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS,…