The article presents a SWOT analysis of a long-term outdoor environmental education program, on-going since 1996. In this program, the fifth-grade classes in a public elementary school in a rural region of northern Israel have been contributing to the conservation of the Lesser Kestrel, an endangered species. The program is based on outdoor…

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the impact of computer-based individualized instruction in a developing country. We randomly assigned 1,528 students in grades 6-8 in 15 "model" public schools in Rajasthan, India who were using a computer-adaptive learning software to: a control group, in which they were only able to access…

After a steady increase throughout the middle of the 20th century, arts education has been in decline since the 1980s. Teachers attributed the declines to test-score pressures, budget cuts, or both. These trends have been most pronounced for students of color, who are more likely than white students to attend under-resourced schools and about half…

The paper evaluates math performance at four high-need middle schools during a four-year intervention, which was designed to help math teachers diagnose students' areas of need and to design lesson plans responsive to those needs. Before the intervention began, the researchers pre-selected four comparison schools by matching based on achievement…

This paper provides an examination of the foundations, efficacy, and effectiveness of a set of practices associated with improved social studies and history learning and literacy outcomes for middle grade students, including students with varying learning needs (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities). This approach, Promoting…

The authors argue that playable fictions and analog game design can be an effective way to engage students in discussions about climate change and related scientific areas of exploration. They offer the example of a middle school climate science education unit grounded in the design, analysis, and play of board games and card games based on a…

This report delves into the cost and effectiveness of the ASSISTments program as an online math support tool. Aiming to replicate previous findings, the study focused on the impact of ASSISTments on student learning in seventh-grade classrooms. The report outlines the study's objectives, setting, and participants alongside the study design,…

Student-teacher relationships are critical to ensuring successful transitions to high school, but programs focused on building strong relationships have been concentrated at younger school levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gather feedback from ninth grade students, teachers/staff, and administrators regarding an existing…

For many years, the conventional wisdom in the field was that grade retention was a bad idea. A 1997 opinion piece in "Education Week" titled "Grade retention doesn't work" reflected the prevailing sentiment in the education community and the available research evidence at that time: retained students performed worse than their…

This report evaluates the effects of Lexia[TM] Core5[TM] Reading (Core5) -- a product of Lexia Learning Systems -- on the reading achievement of students in grades 3-5 during the 2021-2022 academic year. Core5 is a program that focuses on various student literacy skills, such as fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This report represents the…

Responsive coaching at engage2learn is an innovative, and with this and previous reports--an evidence-based solution. This 2021-2022 study compellingly validates the efficacy of the engage2learn program through an exploration of NWEA MAP® Growth™ and STAAR test scores for Math and Science, Grades 6-8. LXD Research, an independent research firm,…

Get Islington Reading was a three-year campaign to develop a community of happy, confident young readers aged 9 to 14 across the London Borough of Islington. The campaign was funded by the Charity of Sir Richard Whittington through The Mercers' Company and delivered by the National Literacy Trust and The Reading Agency in collaboration with…

This article focuses attention on a critical need for more evidence-based social emotional learning (SEL) programs for middle school students. First, we explore the definition of SEL, pointing out how it has evolved as our world has changed. We review key SEL domains and skills and describe universal school-based SEL programming as one approach to…

Large numbers of U.S. students lack proficiency in science, and students from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups show disparities in science achievement.2 Science knowledge and skills are important for both academic and workplace success, and a variety of interventions have been developed to improve student science achievement.…

Large numbers of U.S. students lack proficiency in science, and students from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups show disparities in science achievement. Science knowledge and skills are important for both academic and workplace success, and a variety of interventions have been developed to improve student achievement in science.…