Remixing traditional and new teaching techniques via literacy centers can restructure middle grades language arts classrooms to promote student movement, autonomy, and creativity. Literacy centers provide a set of individual, developmentally appropriate learning activities that can be updated daily to match current objectives, but do not need to…

This article reports instruction supporting the development of fifth grade English learners' argumentative writing in an English language arts setting. Arguments analyzed for the study were produced by the same students on two occasions, roughly 3 months apart. In the first instance, students discussed the source text in detail, but were given no…

With the increasing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in schools across the United States, most teachers will have these students in their classrooms in the near future if not already. Due to the wide diversity of ELL students, all classroom teachers must be equipped to work with these students. This study presents the findings of a…

Not every teacher should serve as a mentor teacher (MT), and there are certainly those who are considered excellent teachers who did not find success in that role, often struggling to turn over aspects of classroom instruction to their mentees. With the current testing and accountability regime, some teachers are reluctant to leave their test…

In the conceptual triumvirate of "language," "literacy" and "literature" that have been central to thinking about English curriculum--indeed, are the overarching organisers for the "Australian Curriculum: English"--that which received possibly the least attention from Garth Boomer was literature. This paper…

In order to adequately prepare students for the summative requirements of Year 12, tertiary education and life beyond school, it is essential that all students are equipped with the literary skills necessary for discerning ideas, evaluating perspectives and appreciating texts within their world (Queensland Studies Authority, 2010, p. 29). Such…

Two literacy leaders acknowledge the challenges of teaching LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) issues in the classroom. While children come from a variety of family structures, it is necessary to acknowledge that a gay individual was once a child sitting in a classroom. An argument against marginalization and an advocacy for inclusion of…

Students' initial eagerness and excitement for learning to read are evident when they enter primary grades. Their levels of enthusiasm for reading diminish through elementary (Eccles, Wigfield, Harold, & Blumenfeld, 1993; Mazzoni, Gambell, & Koreamaki, 1999) and middle school (McKenna & Kearn, 1990; Oldfather & McLaughlin, 1993)…

In recent years, attention has been given to the academic impact of afterschool programs. Some schools collaborate with afterschool programs in an attempt to align the learning that occurs during the school day with the learning that occurs during afterschool hours, and thus maximize the potential to positively impact student academic achievement.…

This study is expected to determine the impact of a program based on the cooperative learning methodology. This, in comparison to a traditional learning situation in both mathematics and language achievement. The study was carried out on a group of fourth grade students of primary school. In addition, it tried to find the differential impact…

The objective of this paper is to present value-added calculation methods that were applied to determine whether online schools performed at the same or different levels relative to standardized testing. This study includes information on how we approached our value added model development and the results for 32 online public high schools in…

This descriptive study used nonparametric (Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U) tests to determine the efficacy of New York City (NYC) small school initiative. A sample of 369 NYC high schools was tested on various performance indicators. The results: Large schools generated statistically significant higher performance scores and were more effective…

The purpose of the study reported here was to explore the relationship between the type of high school attended (magnet versus comprehensive) and the likelihood of graduates having completed an advanced course, after accounting for students' prior achievement. In addition, the study examined the relationship between students' prior achievement and…

This qualitative study examined how teachers use instructional practices and family reinforcement interventions to support intrinsic motivation for special education students as a means to meet graduation requirements. Purposeful sampling of highly qualified special education teachers certified in language arts was used in this study. The data…

The invention of aviation has made it possible for people to travel faster and farther than ever before, and has led to a global increase in connection of commerce, people, and ideas. However, economic growth and social changes have also led to challenges for the aviation industry. NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) works…