UCLA education professor Wellford W. Wilms has joined notable scholars, writers and other professionals as the newest contributor to Truthdig.com, a Los Angeles-based Web magazine.

Wilms, an education professor at UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, will focus his essays on educational issues. His first column debuted in April and examined the current state of today's schools, why they are failing, and the consequences of demanding schools and students to meet imposed federal math and reading standards. The column proposed suggestions on how to create a successful education system.

"I am honored to participate in such an innovative and unique investigative online magazine," Wilms said.

In future articles, Wilms will examine Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign to take over the public schools, analyze whether teacher unions can be a force for productive change and propose promising ways to rebuild public investment in school.

Wilms is the faculty director of the Educational Leadership Program at UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, where he also has served as assistant dean and a chair of the faculty. He has written a number of books, including "Restoring Prosperity: How Workers and Managers Are Forging a New Culture of Cooperation" and "Awakening the Academy." His research is supported by The National Institute of Justice, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the John and Dora Haynes Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Wilms has a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Truthdig.com (http://www.truthdig.com/) covers current affairs from a progressive point of view. The site, edited by columnist Robert Scheer, is built around in-depth coverage, or "digs," led by authorities in their fields, including Gore Vidal, Orville Schell, and other scholars and writers.

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