M. Elizabeth Graue

M. Elizabeth Graue is Professor Emerita and Sorenson Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research specializes in early childhood education, focusing on school readiness interpreted through sociocultural and community contexts, prekindergarten policy and its translation to practice, class size reduction impacts, qualitative methodologies including ethnographic observation and policy analysis, and fostering inclusive home-school relationships. Beginning her career in the classroom, Graue served as an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at Southwest Cook County Cooperative for Special Education in Oak Forest, Illinois (1979-1982), and as a Kindergarten Teacher in Webster Groves, Missouri (1983-1986).

Graue earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education with high honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1979), a Master of Education in Evaluation and Policy Research from the University of Illinois at Chicago (1982), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Research and Evaluation Methodologies from the University of Colorado at Boulder (1990). She joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990 as Assistant Professor in Curriculum and Instruction, advancing to Associate Professor (1996-1999) and Professor (1999 onward). Leadership roles included Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (2014-2017), Director of the Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (2018 onward), Interim Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (2009), and Associate Director for Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Development there (2009-2013). Graue's influential publications include books such as "Ready for What? Constructing Meanings of Readiness for Kindergarten" (1993), "Studying Children in Context: Theories, Methods, and Ethics" (1998, with Daniel J. Walsh), and "Reviewing Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences" (2013, with Audrey A. Trainor); and articles like "The Wisdom of Class Size Reduction" (2007, American Educational Research Journal), "Local Control in the Age of Accountability: The Case of Wisconsin 4K" (2016, Education Policy Analysis Archives), and "What Guides PreK Programs?" (2018, Teachers College Record). Awards include the 2024 AERA Distinguished Contribution to Research Award from the Early Education/Child Development Special Interest Group, AERA Fellowship (2010), Vilas Associates Award (2006-2008), and two 1990 AERA Outstanding Dissertation Awards. She has mentored numerous graduate students who have become leaders in early childhood education.

Professional Email: beth.graue@wisc.edu