As part of the largest-ever research collaboration between the Department of Public Instruction and UW-Madison, education researchers will aim to decrease ethnic and economic disparities in student opportunity and achievement across the state.
A $5.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will fund the four-year project, which entails analyzing data from each state public school, according to a university release.
The data, collected by the DPI over the past 10 years, includes test scores, attendance rates and graduation statistics across economic, racial and disability statuses from every Wisconsin public school.
Researchers at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, led by associate professor of sociology and educational policy studies Eric Grodsky, will use the data to identify which schools in Wisconsin have successfully lessened racial achievement gaps to establish effective practices.
"The more we learn about what's impactful, the more channels we can pursue to try to help kids in the state," Grodsky said.
