This research was conducted as a qualitative comparative case study of two Northern New England school districts that were in the process of responding to declining enrollments. The purpose of the study was to explore decision-making through the lens of declining enrollments. An award winning rural school in an affluent town with high performing…

The "Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students" (Texas State Plan) represents the accountability plan for measuring the performance of districts in providing state-mandated services to students identified as gifted/talented (G/T). The State Board of Education approved revisions in July 2019. The Texas State Plan…

The goal of HISD [Houston Independent School District] prekindergarten programs is to offer the youngest learners strong foundations built on solid concept, as well as individual and group discovery. The program curriculum focuses on beginning literacy, numeracy, social emotional development as well as supporting the individual linguistic and…

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the Ascending to Men (ATM) program using ATM students', mentors', and program managers' perceptions and experiences and ATM students' academic performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). ATM is a mentoring-based program designed to support boys of…

Literacy Empowered (LE) was initiated during the 2017-2018 school year to provide literacy support for all Houston Independent School District (HISD) high school students through the reading of self-selected and assigned texts, the proficient use of PowerUp tools, writing, discourse, and authentic literacy practices across all foundation courses.…

Accumulated evidence from dozens of cash transfer (CT) programs across the world suggests that there are few interventions that can match the range of impacts and cost-effectiveness of a small, predictable monetary transfer to poor families in developing countries. However, individual published impact assessments typically focus on only one…

Students who acquire reading comprehension using arts integration will have the opportunity to improve their ability to learn through the following subjects writing, science, language arts, social studies, and mathematics. The problem is economically disadvantaged third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students did not make adequate yearly gains or pass…

Math teachers' circles are a form of professional development that is recommended by the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences in their publication Mathematical Education of Teachers II (2012). However, little research has been published on how effective math teachers' circles are in advancing the mathematical knowledge of teachers and…

International evidence demonstrates the importance of engaging parents in the education of their "high-potential" children, yet limited research has focused on the involvement of parents from differing economic strata/backgrounds. The current study explored the dilemmas of parenting academically high-ability children from economically…

Since 2007, nineteen Houston Independent School District (HISD) campuses have partnered with Literacy Now to offer the Reading Intervention program. The Reading Intervention program provides individualized, small group reading tutorials for at-risk students in kindergarten to second grade to create proficient readers by the end of third grade.…

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) has provided free prekindergarten classes for eligible Houston area four-year old students since the 1985-1986 school year. HISD offers full-day prekindergarten programs to all eligible students within its attendance boundaries. HISD collaborates with four federally-funded Head Start agencies that…

The purpose of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and Head Start Collaborative programs is to share the responsibility for closing the achievement gap between economically-disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers. HISD collaborates with the following four Head Start agencies: AVANCE-Houston, Inc. (AVANCE), Gulf Coast…

The Resilient Outstanding Sisters Exemplifying Success (ROSES) program was implemented in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) during the 2019-2020 school year. The program targeted female students of color through psychosocial support and school-based mentoring by leveraging community resources, partnerships, and advocacy. A total of…

Many states have implemented or expanded state-funded prekindergarten programs in the last decade, encouraged by claims about the benefits that can be expected and the importance of early experiences for children's development, especially for economically disadvantaged children. However, there is remarkably little methodologically adequate…

Evidence-based reform is transforming education at all levels, both in providing effective models for use in schools and in linking policy to effective practice on a broad scale. As early education moves from a concern with effects of preschool versus no preschool to focus on creating and evaluating effective preschool models capable of improving…