This study develops, validates, and applies a typology of teachers using labor market data. We construct our typology by applying a correlated topic model to 17,000 personal statements teachers submitted as part of their applications to open positions in Wisconsin public schools. We identify seven types of teachers active on the labor market:…

Established in 2006 by New Leaders for New Schools[TM], the Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC) initiative rewards high-need urban schools showing significant gains in student achievement. In exchange, schools agree to share the practices helping to drive those gains, which they do through an in-depth study of practice, aided by the EPIC…

Objective: The authors aimed to clarify crime "movement" through the city of Madison to focus efforts to address consequences of student drinking. The authors examined all crime reported by police during the 2003 year. Methods: Using geographical information system (GIS) mapping and 2003 crime data from the University of…

The author of this article describes the central IT structure of her institution, the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Based on her experiences, she observes that building and maintaining a community of support that spans the central IT organization and the distributed IT support providers presents real challenges. As such, she believes that…

In this paper we return to an issue often discussed in the literature regarding the relationship between highway expansion and population change. Typically it simply is assumed that this relationship is well established and understood. We argue, following a thorough review of the relevant literature, that the notion that highway expansion leads to…

Describes the development of a statewide cartographic information system based on a county format and the production of a union catalog of county mapping information. Included are sample county maps, union catalog listings, and the questionnaire used to obtain cartographic information from various state agencies. (JD)

Many librarians have been concerned with the unintended consequences of new technologies, but Kristin Eschenfelder--librarian, scholar, and social scientist--gathers the data to enable rational policy decisions about technology's ramifications. As assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at University of…

Educational improvement through data-based decision-making using high-quality data is a longstanding goal of policymakers and practitioners, and ensuring the quality of the evidence available to inform such decisions is a key part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The evidence-based education that such initiatives promote involves the…

The information retrieval demonstration and research project was designed to demonstrate the computer terminal system of information retrieval from a central computer. Specifically, the system concentrated on computer searching of the ERIC system. The demonstrations took place by locating nine terminals in volunteer districts and conducting…

A strong library and information network is important to Wisconsin because of the uneven geographic distribution of its population, the dispersion of its university resource centers and heavy concentration of book and other information resources in major cities. This report explores the potential for furthering interlibrary cooperation in…

Six papers on geographic information systems cover the future of geographic information systems, land information systems modernization in Wisconsin, the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems and sustainable development,…

The extent to which state agencies are implementing information systems and analytical methods for budget review are examined. Focus is on 17 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Trends in budget…

The report describes Wisconsin's information retrieval system with remote, on-line computer access to nearly 200,000 educational documents. Briefly outlined are the operations and indexing of materials for the computer program, documents of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), file access, training sessions, and remote location…

This report was prepared in response to a need identified in the "Provisional Long-Range Plan" of the Wisconsin Coordinating Council for Higher Education (CCHE). The findings of an advisory committee were used as the basis for recommendations in three areas: (1) technology and interinstitutional cooperation, (2) library resources and (3)…

In this article, we present a study focused on developing students' understanding of the ecology through participation in a technology-supported urban planning simulation--specifically, 11 high school students in Madison, Wisconsin acted as urban planners to redesign a local shopping street using a Geographic Information System (GIS) model. This…