Over the past two decades, several new K-12 mathematics curricula have been developed. The question asked by many researchers, administrators, and policy-makers is: "Do these materials work?" This question has led to research on curricular effectiveness and, more specifically, on teachers' implementations of the curricula. Teachers…

Many students enter institutions of higher education underprepared for college level coursework. Instructors must establish early connections with these students to engage them in their required coursework and foster success in remedial coursework. The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study was to examine the sensory processing…

The challenges facing today's schools are greater than ever. The impetus to improve educational outcomes for all students and compete with the rest of the world has become one of the country's most important endeavors. Several important factors have been identified in research as supporting improved teaching in today's schools, the impact of…

The No Child Left Behind Act emphasized the responsibility of states to improve student academic performance. In one state, students are required to take subject-area tests and master each test to graduate; however, in some schools, many students are failing the English II test administered during students' sophomore year. Two districts have…

The purpose of this causal comparative study is to test the theory of no significant difference that compares pre- and post-test assessment scores, controlling for the instructional delivery model of online and face-to-face students at a Mid-Atlantic university. Online education and virtual distance learning programs have increased in popularity…

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer in adolescence requires that adolescents and their caregivers learn to transition and adjust to the challenges associated with cancer. The aim of this phenomenological study was to generate a detailed examination of the experiences of four caregivers and their adolescent children, 11 to 18 years of age,…

The 2011-2012 school year was the worst in a decade for progress in access to high-quality pre-K for America's children. To some extent this reflects the effects on state governments of the worst economic downturn most living Americans have ever experienced. Yet, this is not the whole story. The 2011-2012 results also reflect the effects of…

The purpose of this study was to explore and report on the impact of coaching as an embedded part of professional development has on teacher learning and practice in the context of educating English Language Learners (ELLs). A close examination was made of what teachers, coaches and principals believe to be effective professional development and…

The Swan Valley Cluster of Schools for the Make it Count project identified the professional learning of teachers as a key factor in improving the numeracy outcomes of urban Indigenous children. Two mentor teachers were assigned to support cluster teachers in planning and teaching mathematics during 2011. This paper reports on the initiative and…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has had several tangible effects on education and the monitoring of education. There have been both intended and unintended consequences. ESEA's newer generation of federal programs, such as Race to the Top, and the recent ESEA flexibility guidelines, have continued to push development of methods…

While tax revenues in many Western states have improved since FY 2011, the 2012 legislative sessions still experienced what has become the familiar round of funding cuts to higher education, coupled with tuition increases for students. The good news is that the cuts and increases weren't as severe as in previous years, despite continued aversion…

Increasing education among low-income parents is a vital component of policies to improve families' economic status. Educational attainment matters: between 1979 and 2005, wages for those with college and advanced degrees rose by 22 and 28 percent, respectively, while wages for high school graduates remained stagnant and wages for high school…

When Superintendent Denise Juneau took office in 2009, there were 2,423 students who dropped out of school, and Montana had a dropout rate of 5.1 percent. Inspired by the early successes of the Graduation Matters Missoula initiative, Superintendent Juneau launched Graduation Matters Montana in 2010. Graduation Matters Montana is a statewide effort…

The researchers conducted an analysis of the secondary transition qualitative and quantitative research literature to build comprehensive constructs and lists of student nonacademic behaviors associated with post-high school employment and education. From a pool of 83 initial quantitative and qualitative studies, 35 met the inclusion criteria, and…

The 2012 "State Preschool Yearbook" profiles state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. The "Yearbook" compares each state program's standards against a checklist of 10 research-based quality standards benchmarks. Although the benchmarks against which the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)…