In an effort to best support student learning, school districts are seeking the most effective means of improving instruction while effectively addressing student inequities. As the focus on accountability intensifies, the use of data is paramount. Access to data alone, does not ensure quality, data-driven instruction. The lack of teacher…

School leadership ranks among the most influential factors in student learning. Yet, principals contend with complex challenges every day, including teacher shortages, student well-being and safety concerns, resource constraints, and much more. It's no surprise they are reporting unprecedented levels of job-related stress. To position principals…

The purpose of this study was to explore how literacy coaches can provide job-embedded professional development for content-area teachers to support their efforts in the implementation of disciplinary literacy practices. In order to achieve this overall objective, the following research questions framed this qualitative methods study: 1) How do…

The term "Artificial Intelligence" was coined in 1956 at a conference at Dartmouth College and since then it has undergone constant development and has evolved radically. Prominent pioneers of the term include John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell, and Herbert A. Simon. The application of AI in education worldwide has increased…

Solving complex problems is critical to educational leaders' ability to achieve improvement in schools. Much of this problem-solving is carried out in conversations with staff. This paper draws on theories of collaborative problem-solving and interpersonal effectiveness to examine the behavior of leaders in such conversations -- in Norway and New…

Improvement science enables researchers to focus on a theory of change in structures and processes in classroom practices. This improvement science intervention was designed to reorient practitioners toward new instructional norms that promote discourse between teacher-students and student-student during instruction. The purpose of this research…

Improvement science is a framework which groups can use to identify problems within their sphere of influence, test agreed-upon solutions to those problems, and measure the degree to which those solutions have addressed the problems they intended to change. The pathway groups use to do this work is called Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles, or PDSA. Much…

The 100 Families Alliance in Sebastian County, Arkansas experienced a phenomenon that centered around multiple power shifts that helped men and women move from crisis to career. The current study uses a critical social theory lens and a qualitative research design that combines transformative worldview, an embedded single-case study, and critical…

Background: As more education practitioners adopt techniques of improvement science to address problems of practice, there is an increasing demand for leaders with the knowledge and capacity to lead improvement efforts. However, little research explores how school leaders learn to lead improvement science in their school context or the challenges…

This article presents 10 Meta-Trends from the newly released "Trends in Assessment: Ideas, Opportunities, and Issues for Higher Education" - Second Edition, through our publishing partner, Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. The Meta-Trends represent enduring and emerging perspectives related to higher education assessment and…

Considered one of the nation's most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the primary purpose of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) is to develop and support effective school leaders. The Region 12 Comprehensive Center's recent evaluation of MLDS examined educators' overall perceptions of MLDS, the extent to…

The purpose of this study was to understand the overall experience of the school improvement specialist position in schools within the state of Arkansas that were labeled in need of improvement. In the study, there were seven participants who represented a variety of schools including homogeneous, a low graduation rate, culturally diverse, an…

Many elementary students still find it difficult to understand the literature content used and it automatically affects their reading and writing skills. However, the adjustment of literature with local wisdom-based content needs to be considered as a supporting tool. This study aimed to improve reading and writing skills using textbook based on…

In this mixed methods research study, the researcher examined the effects the use of the Conscious Competence Matrix (CCM) had on teacher efficacy when implementing professional development (PD) content in their teaching contexts. The CCM is a series of stages through which one passes in developing mastery of any skill set (Howell, 1982). While…

Autistic adults often experience health problems and a range of healthcare barriers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate barriers and explore how primary care providers and autistic adults want to improve their primary healthcare. Semi-structured interviews with three autistic adults, two parents of autistic children and six care…