Gamoran chosen to lead UW’s education research center

Adam Gamoran, professor of sociology and educational policy studies, has been selected as director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) in the university’s School of Education.

“Professor Gamoran has extensive experience as a researcher, including widely cited work on the sociology of education,” says Charles Read, dean of the School of Education. “He has successful administrative experience as well, having chaired the Department of Sociology, which is regarded as one of the best in the country.”

Gamoran takes the job during a significant period for educational policy and research.

“It’s an honor to lead WCER at such an important time in the development of education research,” Gamoran says. “The No Child Left Behind Act calls for schools to use programs and practices that are based on sound research evidence, and WCER scholars can play a leading role in providing such evidence for educators across Wisconsin and the nation.”

Gamoran, who has been interim director of WCER since August, joined the faculty in 1984 after earning his Ph.D. in education from the University of Chicago, where he also received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

He has been a faculty associate at WCER since 1985 and a faculty affiliate the Institute for Research on Poverty since 1990. He chaired the Department of Sociology from 2001-2004, and over the years has served on numerous departmental and campuswide committees.

He was elected in 2001 to the prestigious National Academy of Education. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Sociological Association and the National Society for the Study of Education. Gamoran has served on the editorial boards of several professional journals and has been a visiting professor at universities in Israel and Scotland.

Gamoran’s research interests include the sociology of education, organizational analysis, and social stratification. His current projects include studies on the short- and long-term effects of school desegregation and resegregation.

“Education research faces serious challenges,” says Read. “The public looks to our research to help solve pressing problems in both PK-12 and higher education. For 40 years, studies conducted in WCER have led to significant improvements in American education, but there is much more to be done. I am confident that Professor Gamoran will prove to be the right leader for WCER in this demanding environment.”

Established in 1964, WCER is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most influential university-based education research and development centers, and is among the largest research units on campus. Its current annual external funding totals $23.65 million – with 62 percent from the National Science Foundation, 22 percent from the U.S. Department of Education, 9 percent from other federal sources, 6 percent from private sources and 1.5 percent from the state of Wisconsin.

The center currently houses 50 active projects spanning the scope of education, from infant childcare and after-school programs to undergraduate curriculum reform. Specific areas include teaching, learning and professional development; educational policy and accountability; student learning and achievement in mathematics and science; English and writing instruction; childcare, family and community programs; higher education; assessment and intervention in special education; and educational technology.

The center’s researchers often work in interdisciplinary teams in collaboration with school, state and university partners to develop and test research-based interventions and models of best practice.

Gamoran succeeds Andrew Porter, former professor of educational psychology, who took a position at Vanderbilt University. Porter led WCER from 1988-2003.