Anupama Shekar

Dr. Anupama Shekar is an Evaluation Manager for the Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE). In her role, Anu is involved in program evaluation and research of community-based initiatives and professional development programs. Her focus is on mixed-methods and qualitative methodologies. In her current work, she is interested in designing and using mixed-methods and qualitative methodological approaches to explore complexities and understand the nuances of actions and change that takes place in educational settings and within communities. She develops survey and qualitative data collection instruments and also conducts qualitative analyses using traditional coding approaches and qualitative analyses software.

Prior to joining CORE, she worked as the Director for Evaluation at Teaching Trust in Dallas, Texas, an education leadership non-profit organization. She also worked as an Associate Researcher with the WIDA Consortium which is a national and international prek-12 language development and assessment program housed at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked on the research and design of a leadership coaching program for educators of early childhood dual-language learners and produced literature reviews for coaching within contexts of leadership, professional learning communities, and families. She also developed program materials and evaluation tools for WIDA’s Early Years coaching program.

She previously also served as a postdoctoral research associate in WIDA's Teaching & Learning Department. She conducted evaluations of WIDA's professional development programs and initiatives and supported efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate continuous improvement practices.

During her tenure at WIDA and while pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership, she helped develop and evaluate a data literacy program (LADDER) for educators of ELLs. This project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition, helped consortium schools make data-driven decisions about their English language learners. Her dissertation identified practices of effective principal leadership and parent and family involvement among low-income communities in the U.S. and India.

Prior to moving to the U.S, she received a Master's degree in Journalism and worked as a print journalist for the New Indian Express (a national mainstream newspaper) focusing on public educational policy issues in South India. This is where her journey in education formally began. The stories made an impact on her and drove her to quit journalism and apply in the United States to study educational leadership and policy formally.

She earned her doctoral degree from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013.

Publications and Conferences

Cuellar, D., Shekar. A., Mancilla, L., Spalter. A (2020) Young Multilingual Children in Pennsylvania: Exploring Parent Perceptions of Children’s Language Development, Family Engagement Practices, and Decision-making about EarlyCare and Education. Research Findings Report for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/early/preschgr/index.htm

Cuellar, D., Shekar. A., Mancilla, L., Spalter. A (2019) Young Multilingual Children in Minnesota: Exploring Parent Perceptions of Children’s Language Development, Family Engagement Practices, and Decision-making about EarlyCare and Education. Research Findings Report for the Minnesota Department of Education Division of Early Learning Services.

Mancilla, L., Spalter. A., Cuellar, D., Shekar, A. (2019) Young Multilingual Children in Maryland: Exploring Parent Perceptions of Children’s Language Development, Family Engagement Practices, and Decision-making about EarlyCare and Education. Research Findings Report for the Maryland State Department of Education Division of Early Childhood.

Shekar, A. (2019) Enhancing Rigor in Qualitative Approaches for Developmental Evaluations: Lessons Learned from the Dallas Young Women’s Initiative Study. Presented American Evaluation Association, Minneapolis, MN.

Shekar, A., & Pierson, M. (2017): Unpacking the “Why”: The Power of Collaborative Coding with Qualitative Data presented to the American Evaluation Association (AEA).

WIDA Consortium, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013): Co-authored the LADDER for Language Learners books and manuals that included a Coach Guide, Leadership Team Materials and Coaching Materials published by the WIDA Consortium

WIDA Consortium, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013): Co-authored the development of the LADDER program and grant milestones for the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) presented by LADDER team members at the U.S. Department of Education; Washington D.C.

WIDA Consortium, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012- 2013): Contributor to the LADDER final research and evaluation report provided to the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA).

WIDA Consortium, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008- 2010): Co-led the LADDER pilot program research and evaluation report provided to the pilot test sites and the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA).

Evans, E., Shekar, A., Spalter, A. (2010) Your Turn: Critical Feedback on LADDER's Design, Delivery and Implementation. Presentation and discussion group at Illinois Resource Center Statewide Conference for Teachers Serving Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students; Chicago, IL.