Cathy Compton-Lilly

How students learn to see themselves as writers is a question that has fascinated UW-Madison education professor Cathy Compton-Lilly for decades.

She watched African American students develop into skilled writers over a 10-year period. Her case study of one of them, Peter (a pseudonym), shows how he accumulated what’s called writing capital.

For her study, Compton-Lilly gathered and studied samples of Peter’s writing, weaving them together with notes from her interviews with him, his mother, his grandmother, and his high school English teacher. She explored the complexities of being a successful writer in school and considered how Peter’s accomplishments were contextualized within school and society.

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Press

Beth Graue is among commentators on "what the research says" about the merits of class size reduction (The Educated Reporter, 9 July).

Sara Goldrick-Rob comments on student loans (American Public Media's Marketplace program, 13 July).

By unanimous consent the U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Adam Gamoran to the National Board for Education Sciences, Department of Education. More information is available here.

Adam Gamoran discusses the benefits of class size reduction (ABC News, 17 June).

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WCER’s Value-Added Research Center (VARC) is working with Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools to support and promote effective teaching. VARC is producing teacher-level value-added estimates using data from district-wide assessments, which include the state-mandated Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and district-required end-of-course tests. The District will use the results as part of its Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Teacher Effectiveness Initiative. VARC is working with the Milwaukee Public Schools to align its employee evaluation systems with the District’s strategic plan. This approach includes defining what employees need to do to carry out the strategic plan, defining performance competencies for each group, specifying the measurement and administrative characteristics that strategically-aligned evaluation.