| Friends_of_the_Swastika A site for a campaign to reclaim the swastika as one of the ancient symbols. |
| The_Swastika Examples of swastikas on various items, and some history of the symbol. |
| The_Swastika_and_the_Nazis_ Book review of the book by Servando Gonzalez on the origins of adoption of the swastika as the symbol of the Nazi movement. |
| The_Swastika_Controversy Information on swastika, an ancient and honourable symbol used by many cultures around the world including Buddhists and Jains. |
| Doctor_Homework A free service aimed at helping those with academic concerns get in touch with the people who have the answers. |
| Archival_Theory_and_Practice Brief article covering the basics of the archival profession. Includes definitions of terms. |
| Archives_and_Preservation_Resources Information from NARA about archival management and preservation of historical records. |
| Archivist\'s_Daybook Information about archival meetings, workshops, seminars, and other continuing education and professional development events for archivists around the world. |
| Basic_Rules_for_Archival_Description An introduction to the preparation of fonds- and series-level descriptions using RAD, from the Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists. |
| Digitising_History A guide to creating, documenting and preserving digital resources derived from historical documents by Sean Townsend, Cressida Chappell, and Oscar Struijvé. |
| European_Preservation_Information_Center Provides a gateway for information on the preservation of documentary heritage in Europe. |
| International_Archival_Resources_on_the_Internet Links to education, professional resources, organizations, and standards. |
| Introduction_to_Archival_Terminology Glossary of terms used in archival management and preservation of historical records by Maygene F. Daniels, from US National Archives and Records Administration. |
| Latin_American_Archival_Theory_and_Practice_During_the_1970s_and_1980s Comparative study of various countries' archival theory and practice concerning information access. [Requires Adobe Acrobat] |
| So_You_Want_to_be_an_Archivist An overview of the archival profession. |
| Antique_Bottle_Terms Terms used to identify and describe the condition of antique bottles. |
| Apparel_Vocabulary User contributed glossary of fashion and apparel terms. |
| Ballistic_Dictionary Dedicated for ballistic-textile related terms. More than 300 terms collected and defined by experts from the industry. Sponsored by Rabintex Industries LTD. |
| Bar-None_Drinking_Dictionary Hundreds of definitions for ingredients and techniques used in mixing alcoholic beverages. |
| BKWine\'s_Short_Gastronomic_Glossary A short gastronomic glossary with food and restaurant terms in English, French and Swedish. |
| Cargo_Shipping_Acronyms Glossary of Cargo-Shipping terminology. |
| Cat_Dictionary Lynne Marie Stockman's collection of terms relating to cats. |
| Cat_Fancier\'s_Glossary Glossary, acronyms, list of titles and breed descriptions. |
| Compressed_Air_Glossary_of_Terms Comprehensive glossary on compressed air |
| Dictionary_of_Education Detailed, cross-referenced dictionary of educational terms with references to periodicals from whence the terms derive. |
| Dictionary_of_Financial_Scam_Terms A guide to financial terms as distorted by con artists to defraud victims. |
| Dictionary_of_Gambling Terms covering gambling, casino games, and the sports on which money is bet. |
| Dog_Terms Dictionaries and glossaries of words and abbreviations related to dogs. Some content available in downloadable format. |
| An_Espresso_Glossary Terms encountered when talking about or using espresso machines. |
| Fabric_Dictionary Dictionary of textile and fashion vocabulary. |
| Fins\'_Aquarium_Glossary Vocabulary relating to aquariums. |
| Glossary_for_the_Modern_Soap_Maker A collection of soap making terms, definitions and acronyms. |
| Glossary_of__Terms_for_Dyeing Terms related to the dyeing of textiles. |
| Glossary_of_Common_Latin_Terms_Found_in_Imprints_of_Early_Printed_Books Includes examples of usage. |
| Glossary_of_Library_Terms List provided by Cornell University Library. |
| Glossary_of_Satellite_TV_and_Internet_Terms Includes product descriptions and satellite TV installation phrases. |
| Glossary_on_Transnational_Organized_Crime Collection of English, Russian and French language terms by Roman Nazarov. |
| GlossPost Glossaries' mailing list for translators, interpreters, terminologists and technical writers. |
| Hiker\'s_Lexicon Common and uncommon technical terms, slang, abbreviations and acronyms used by hikers and backpackers. |
| Jargon_Scout Trendy internet jargon. No longer updated; last update was June 2001. |
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Value-Added Research Center Works With TIF Grantees
Chris Thorn
Rob Meyer
WCER’s Value-Added Research Center (VARC) develops, applies, and disseminates value-added and longitudinal research methods for evaluating the performance and effectiveness of teachers, schools, and educational programs and policies. Directed by Rob Meyer, the staff of scientists, researchers, and education professionals apply cross-disciplinary expertise to ground-breaking work on value-added systems and evaluation models. Researcher Chris Thorn gives us an update.
Research Highlights: VARC recently began providing technical assistance to recipients of Teacher Incentive Fund grants from the U.S. Department of Education.
Thorn: Right. There are 34 grantees across the U.S. They get a total of $95 million annually to support pay for performance systems. We’re collaborating with Vanderbilt University to provide technical assistance to the Department of Education and to individual grantees as they develop and deploy their programs. We’re also working with staff from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) to provide support for teacher and principal evaluation. That’s a major component of pay for performance systems.
Research Highlights: You’re continuing to develop and implement the value-added model.
Thorn: We now have three years of test data, and down to the classroom level. We’ve developed production value-added models for Madison Metropolitan School District, Milwaukee Public Schools, and Chicago Public Schools. We’re also doing a prototype model for Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to demonstrate the use of value-added at the state level. This work will compare the use of state data at different district sizes, using data from Milwaukee, Madison, and CESA 2 (a cooperative educational services agency).
Read the rest of the article here.
Press
WIDA’s new project that develops alternative testing for English-language learners with significant disabilities is unique in the U.S. (Education Daily, 17 November).
A Wisconsin Week article about two new distinguished ELPA faculty points out that WCER's Minority Student Achievement Network was co-founded by former Madison Schools Superintendent Art Rainwater (Wisconsin Week 10 November).
Rob Meyer discusses Madison schools' performance in recent value-added evaluations (Wisconsin State Journal, 16 November).
Allan Odden comments on budget cutbacks affecting New York schools
(Newsday, 15 November).
Allan Odden comments on the proposal by Washington DC schools chief Michelle Rhee to shake up the teacher tenure system (New York Times, 12 November).
Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning
Consortium for Policy Research in Education
Coordination, Consultation & Evaluation Center
CoMPASS
Data-Driven Instructional Systems
Diversity in Mathematics Education
Early Child Care & After-School Care
Interdisciplinary 
Training Program in the Education Sciences
Mobilizing STEM for a Sustainable Future
Minority Student
Achievement Network
Secondary Teacher Education Project
Children, Families & Schools
Strategic Management of Human Capital
Surveys of Enacted Curriculum
System-wide Change for All Learners and Educators
Teaching Enhanced Anchored Mathematics
Testing Accommodations Research
Transana
Value-Added Research Center
WIDA Consortium
How Gestures Help us Think
When we try to communicate something complicated, we often gesture. Gesturing seems to help us think things through. When we gesture, we activate mental images and maintain them in working memory. Now research is showing exactly what happens in the brain when students and teachers gesture in the classroom. This has important implications for learning in mathematics and other subjects, says UW-Madison education professor Martha Alibali. Recent research by Alibali and colleagues has found that gestures accompanying speech are involved with more than general memory demands: They are specifically associated with the cognitive demands involved in speaking about spatial information. More information about Alibali's work is available here.
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