NORC at the University of Chicago designed and implemented an impact evaluation of the SEEDS of Learning (SEEDS) professional development (PD) program on behalf of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, in collaboration with Kidango. SEEDS of Learning is an evidence-based PD program that prepares early childhood educators to help children develop the…

Effective classroom management is critical to supporting student learning and success in school. However, little research has focused specifically on the impact of classroom management on student mathematics achievement, especially in the early elementary grades or in a small group (i.e., Tier 2) context. To address this need we investigated the…

This dissertation investigated the extent to which five dependent variables were included in the first-grade reading curriculum and whether district size played a role in their inclusion. This study's mixed-methods approach incorporated descriptive statistics, histograms, confidence intervals, and chi-squared analyses to assess curriculum patterns…

Effective classroom management is critical to supporting student learning and success in school. However, little research has focused specifically on the impact of classroom management on student mathematics achievement, especially in the early elementary grades or in a small group (i.e., Tier 2) context. To address this need we investigated the…

Current models of education are less effective at developing the skills needed for individuals to thrive in this Information Age and beyond. One way to adapt education for current times is through what the authors call Active Playful Learning (APL), a pedagogical framework that is evidence-based, practical, and uniquely co-designed with scientists…

Implementing schoolwide evidence-based reading instruction grounded in the science of reading can be a significant challenge. The book guides educators on how to use the PLC process to improve student reading performance. Access assessments and lesson plans focused on the five pillars of literacy instruction, with collaborative strategies to help…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision-makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It offers design principles to improve practice with instructional coaching based on a review of research. Links to research…

In 2016, the Alaska State Board of Education reviewed and accepted 13 recommendations bundled as Alaska's Education Challenge. In 2022, the Alaska Reads Act was signed into law. The Act addresses the number one priority of Alaska's Education Challenge, which is to support all students to read at grade level by the end of third grade. The…

Evidenced-based mathematics interventions are critical for supporting students with mathematics difficulties. In research and practice, collecting implementation fidelity is important for ensuring that all the core components of the intervention are implemented as designed. Historically, implementation fidelity has been defined as multi-faceted…

Writing teachers play an extraordinarily important role in their students' writing development. Teachers' motivational beliefs, such as attitudes toward writing, perceptions of their efficacy to teach writing, or preparation to use evidence-based instructional practices, impact their writing instruction, which directly affects the advancement of…

Background: Research highlights the value of coaching to support elementary school teachers' use of effective classroom practices (Cappella et al., 2012; Owens et al., 2017). Coaching is particularly useful when teachers implement new or complex strategies, which can include culturally-responsive and equity-centered practices (i.e. strategies that…

Background: A reformed view of science education positions argumentation as a central epistemic discourse practice in the science classroom, however, science education researchers have found that typical norms of classroom discourse fall short of promoting argumentation. Recent scholarship on teachers' personal epistemologies has suggested that…

As students move beyond foundational decoding, many still require targeted support to develop vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. IMSE's Morphology+ program meets this need through explicit, systematic instruction in prefixes, suffixes, and Latin and Greek roots. Designed for grades 3-5, the program uses multimodal strategies and embedded…

This report is concerned with detailing the processes involved in teaching; this was accomplished through an analysis of existing research literature. It was recognised at the outset of the study that teachers engage with teaching and learning in three related but different ways. They are concerned with processes involving: pedagogic principles…

While numerous authors have studied the comparison of achievement growth scores between charter, private, home, virtual, and in-person schools, there has been very little research regarding a comparison of growth scores during a time of a global pandemic. This study revealed that school choice for parents who desire for their children to attend a…