Wisconsin Center for Education Research
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersMadison, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Wisconsin Center for Education Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wisconsin Center for Education Research
- Legal name
- Wisconsin Center for Education Research
- Website
- https://wcer.wisc.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Wisconsin Center for Education Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
Wisconsin Center for Education Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: WCER's operations are funded primarily through competitive research grants from federal agencies (NSF, NIH, Department of Education), foundations (Spencer Foundation, Gates Foundation, Sloan Foundation, Lumina Foundation), and state education agencies. Current grants include $49,948 from Spencer Foundation, $1,775,742 from U.S. Department of Education, and $715,000 from Lumina Foundation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Wisconsin Center for Education Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WCER conducts education research on teaching, learning, and education policy, producing publications, assessments, and trained researchers. It operates the WIDA Consortium providing English language proficiency standards and assessments to state education agencies, runs doctoral training programs (ITP and WCER Fellows), and partners with K-12 districts and state agencies on applied research and program evaluation. The center's outputs include working papers, journal articles, books, assessment tools, and research-driven professional development resources.
Product overview
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) is an education research center at UW-Madison, not a traditional product company. WCER's offerings consist primarily of research publications (Working Paper Series, journal articles, books), graduate training programs (Interdisciplinary Training Program, WCER Fellows Program), and research initiatives. Notable embedded programs include WIDA (language development assessments for multilingual learners) and Field Day Lab (educational video games). WCER also partners with Madison Metropolitan School District through the Madison Education Partnership for early childhood education research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WIDA: A consortium that develops English language proficiency standards and assessments for K-12 multilingual learners, operating within WCER.
- Madison Education Partnership (MEP)
- Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC)
Products and services
- WIDA Consortium A comprehensive system for K-12 English language development, providing standards, assessments, and professional learning resources for educators serving multilingual learners through member state education agencies.
- WCER Working Paper Series Pre-publication versions of papers, reports, and articles by WCER-affiliated researchers, shared with the research community to stimulate discussion and feedback.
- Interdisciplinary Training Program (ITP) Doctoral training program founded in 2005 that prepares scholars for careers in education science, providing specialized academic, professional, and financial supports and field research opportunities for up to 25 graduate fellows annually.
- WCER Fellows Program Program contributing to diversity of scholarly leaders in research professions, guaranteeing four years of funding and annual travel stipends for research conference attendance for doctoral candidates in the School of Education.
Quantifiable outcome
- Full-day 4K students show better learning outcomes than half-day peers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Wisconsin Center for Education Research
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Wisconsin Center for Education Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature1 record
Wisconsin Center for Education Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Madison Metropolitan School DistrictcoreLong-standing research partnership through Madison Education Partnership (MEP) studying 4K programs, student outcomes, and school improvement
- Wisconsin Department of Public InstructioncoreState education agency partnered on evaluations of Academic & Career Planning, Achievement Gap Reduction, and Career Connected High Schools programs
- WestatminorResearch organization collaborating on education research and evaluation projects
- Chicago Public SchoolsminorUrban school district partnered on education research and reform initiatives
- Milwaukee Public SchoolsminorWisconsin's largest school district partnering on education research and improvement
- New York City Department of EducationminorLarge urban school district collaborating on education research initiatives
- Tulsa Public SchoolsminorUrban school district partnered on education research and innovation initiatives
- Boys and Girls Club of Dane CountyminorYouth development organization collaborating on community-based education research
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wisconsin Center for Education Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), UCLA: CRESST focuses on assessment, standards, and evaluation research in K-12 education; its scope overlaps with WCER's WIDA assessment development and program evaluation portfolio.
- Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), University of Pittsburgh: LRDC is a long-standing university-based education research center conducting cognitive, instructional, and policy research — a near-direct structural and functional analog to WCER, housed within a major School of Education with federal grant funding and graduate training programs.
- Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (Stanford SCOPE): Stanford SCOPE conducts education research and evaluation with a similar emphasis on equity, opportunity, and translating research into practice — comparable in mission and grant-funded model to WCER.
- Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), University of Washington: CRPE partners with districts and state agencies on education reform research and evaluation — directly comparable in operating model, funder mix, and translational research mission to WCER.
- Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE): CPRE is a multi-university education policy research consortium operating out of UW-Madison and peer institutions — overlapping directly with WCER's school-district and state-agency policy evaluation work and sharing principal investigators.
- Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR), Harvard University: CEPR partners with school districts and states on rigorous education research and program evaluation in the same mold as WCER's Madison Education Partnership; both centers translate academic research into actionable evidence for K-12 policy and practice.
Broad incumbents
- Westat: Westat is a research and evaluation contractor that collaborates with WCER (already listed as a minor partner) and competes for the same federal and state education research awards; it operates as a private firm rather than a university center.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is a large, established nonprofit that conducts education and behavioral research for federal, state, and district clients; it overlaps with WCER's evaluation and program-assessment work but operates at much broader scale and as a contractor rather than a university center.
- Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica conducts rigorous education and social-policy research and evaluation for federal and foundation funders; it competes with WCER for the same grant pool and runs similar multi-site district and state evaluation projects.
- RAND Corporation (Education Division): RAND's education division performs policy research, evaluation, and assessment work for government and foundation clients — comparable in mission and methods to WCER but with broader national-security and policy footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wisconsin Center for Education Research social profiles
Digital presenceWisconsin Center for Education Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wisconsin Center for Education Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Wisconsin Center for Education Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Wisconsin Center for Education Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Center for Education Research
What does Wisconsin Center for Education Research do?
WCER conducts education research on teaching, learning, and education policy, producing publications, assessments, and trained researchers. It operates the WIDA Consortium providing English language proficiency standards and assessments to state education agencies, runs doctoral training programs (ITP and WCER Fellows), and partners with K-12 districts and state agencies on applied research and program evaluation. The center's outputs include working papers, journal articles, books, assessment tools, and research-driven professional development resources.
Is Wisconsin Center for Education Research a public or private company?
Wisconsin Center for Education Research is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Wisconsin Center for Education Research founded?
Wisconsin Center for Education Research was founded in 1964. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Wisconsin Center for Education Research based?
Wisconsin Center for Education Research is headquartered in Madison, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wisconsin Center for Education Research make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding.
Who are Wisconsin Center for Education Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), UCLA, Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), University of Pittsburgh, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (Stanford SCOPE), Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), University of Washington, Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) and Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR), Harvard University. Broad incumbents are Westat, American Institutes for Research (AIR), Mathematica Policy Research and RAND Corporation (Education Division).
Does Wisconsin Center for Education Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wisconsin Center for Education Research.