For Educators
The idea that improving educational systems and practices improves lives was a founding principle of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research. It has remained the fundamental motivation for all its work.
WCER has partnered with teachers and school districts throughout the state, country and world, first seeking to learn about their issues and then helping to find solutions. Researchers at WCER — many current or former educators and practitioners — desire equal partnerships when working with teachers and administrators, knowing that authentic learning, collaboration and progress lag without such an approach.
WCER researchers continuously seek partners for their projects, with varying levels of involvement. For educators interested in utilizing WCER’s innovative research in their professional development or practice, contact us with your needs and we'll connect you to a UW–Madison researcher who may be able to help.
Several WCER research projects work closely with teachers, students, districts and administrators.
Madison Education Partnership (MEP)
Since 2016, researchers from WCER and the Madison Metropolitan School District have partnered to study issues such as 4K literacy and middle school math, producing reports and recommendations to advance local practices.
Learn more about two recent MEP reports comparing achievement gains and classroom practices in full- and half-day 4K classrooms. Researchers assessed 341 4K students, observed 24 classrooms and interviewed 23 teachers in Madison to produce the reports.
Multicultural Student Achievement Network (MSAN)
MSAN leads a national coalition of 26 multiracial school districts in nine states. The team works directly with students, teachers and superintendents at conferences and in communities of practice to empower student voices and promote research and best practices. Read more about MSAN’s April 2025 conference in Madison for K–12 leaders.
Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC)
Launched in July 2023, the MLRC leverages local and global contexts and connections to advance educational outcomes for multilingual learners through interdisciplinary research and innovative research–practice partnerships. The MLRC School Network supports collaborative research within and across over 175 international schools in 61 countries.
Read about one of the network’s featured partners, the International School of Beijing, serving over 1,700 students from more than 50 countries.
School Mental Health Collaborative (SMHC)
SMHC conducts nationwide research in schools and communities to promote children's and families' mental health. It provides a wealth of resources to school mental health practitioners and researchers, including evidence-based guides and tools, such as the Resilience Education Program, an intervention for young students at risk of depression and anxiety.
Field Day Lab
Award-winning educational game development studio Field Day Lab counts students and teachers among the players and often co-designers of its video learning games—helping the lab brainstorm concepts and characters, test-driving game prototypes in classrooms nationwide and providing feedback.
Explore the Vault and give students the opportunity to learn about an array of topics through the library of games that are always educational, free and work on Chromebooks.
Learn more about the intersection of Field Day Lab and educators in this account of students at Marshfield High School having fun learning about journalism while role-playing Field Day’s media literacy game, “Headlines and High Water.”
WIDA
WIDA helps schools in 41 states, territories and federal agencies annually assess the English language proficiency of their multilingual students. WIDA develops and administers the tests, provides comprehensive resources and instructional tools, does research to inform and progress the field of multilingual learning and provides professional development for teachers.
Learn more about a recent report from WIDA researchers showing how proficiency scores for English learners have continued to decline post-pandemic, with a framework for upending the trend using WIDA resources.
