In 2012-2013, AISD pre-K students demonstrated growth in receptive vocabulary on a nationally-normed test. Students enrolled in multiple programs showed greater growth in receptive vocabulary in their native language than did other pre-K students. [Funding for this report was provided by Title I funds.]

Grounded in Hallidayan perspectives on academic language, we report on our development of an educative science assessment as one component of the language-rich inquiry science for English-language learners teacher professional learning project for middle school science teachers. The project emphasizes the role of content-area writing to support…

This article describes an innovative assessment tool designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a food safety skills curriculum for learners receiving special education services. As schools respond to the increased demand for training students with special needs about food safety, the need for effective curricula and tools is also increasing. A…

The purpose of this varied replication study was to evaluate the effects of a supplemental reading intervention on the beginning reading performance of kindergarten students in a different geographical location and in a different instructional context from the initial randomized trial. A second purpose was to investigate whether students who…

Reading Recovery (RR) is a short-term early intervention designed to help the lowest-achieving readers in first grade reach average levels of classroom performance in literacy. Students identified to receive Reading Recovery meet individually with a specially trained Reading Recovery (RR) teacher every school day for 30-minute lessons over a…

The need for afterschool programs is clear: Research and practice demonstrate that quality afterschool programs keep youth safe; support working families; and provide critical learning, personal development, arts, and recreational opportunities. New York State alone uses nearly $300 million in local, state, and federal funds for afterschool…

The purpose of this study was to examine the change strategies and actions taken by an urban district superintendent to improve student achievement. In a qualitative case study of a large urban school district, one research question and three subquestions focused on: 10 specific reform strategies to improve student achievement, how the quality and…

Many educators believe that developing a sense of community in their schools is necessary for having a vibrant and effective learning environment. Sense of community is a complex social construct with many proponents. Socioemotional learning programs purport to help young students develop emotional skills in order to develop intellectually and…

This study investigated relationships among teacher practices, student motivation and student achievement on standardized mathematics assessments using an Achievement Goal Theory framework. From 2006 through 2009, 800 public school students participated in mathematics assessments and completed surveys measuring perceptions of teacher practices and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which the practice of mentoring aided male and female administrators to secure employment at an administrative level within four Tennessee public school systems as a measured by the Carter Mentoring Scale during the 2009-2010 school year. The study was intended to provide information about…

Behavioral researchers have investigated procedures for identifying preferred items for individuals with varying levels of developmental disabilities. Some researchers in this area have reported difficulties in identifying preferred items for individuals with severe to profound multiple disabilities (SPMD), in part because the individuals may not…

The purpose of this self-study was to document and analyze principal actions and their impact on the school culture. This study was a systemic manner to gather data that can lead to changes in administrator practice. The rationale for this study is driven from a desire to understand the impact of a positive principal disposition on school morale.…

This study incorporated a multiple-methods design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative portion investigated several annual reports distributed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to explore the impact of school uniform policies on incidents of crime and violence and occurrences of…

This qualitative study took place in a single school district in the northwest United States. The purpose of this study was to explore the need, implementation, and the effect of a grass-roots character education program in public elementary schools. To narrow the field of 31 elementary schools in the district, the elementary school principals and…

Advances in the technology available for the design and delivery of online courses, together with the increasingly diverse learning needs of students, have encouraged a stronger focus on instructional design that is more closely aligned to learner requirements and contexts. The 21st century learner is accustomed to acquiring information in a…