This study examined a differentiated, bottom-up approach to school improvement planning through exploration of the qualities that make up a highly effective school department team as it related to their ability to create and meet a student-centered, data driven high achievement goal. While there are a multitude of factors that affect the ability…

The problem addressed through this study was the potential effects of the lack of parent participation at individualized education plan (IEP) meetings on students' achievement. The research question in this study examined the relationship between parents of high school students with disabilities (SWD) attendance at annual IEP meetings and…

While utilizing assessment data has been a pervasive practice in educational reform for decades, and teachers are expected to use assessment data to improve instruction, little is known about how the practice of requiring teachers to review test data affects their perception of effectiveness in addressing the learning gaps of student groups. This…

A large suburban school system in the mid-Atlantic United States identified the Data Wise Improvement Process (DWIP) as a systemic strategy to achieve the district-wide goal of student achievement for college and career readiness. Elementary science teachers marginally participated in school-based instructional team meetings to analyze student…

Educators and families develop individualized education programs (IEPs) to address unique needs of individual students with disabilities. Addressing all student needs is critical to ensuring students receive a free and appropriate public education. To understand how IEP teams address the needs of students with complex support needs, we examined…

In this collaborative action research project three researchers and six primary teachers in two Greek mainstream schools developed a peer tutoring programme for 130 students, 11 of whom were students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Through exploring new roles for researchers and teachers, the aim of this study was to…

This phenomenological qualitative study focused on the perceptions of special education teachers involved in the education of students who have been placed in residential treatment facilities (RTF). The study analyzed the data collected from the participants using interviews and a document review to look at the impact of those perceptions on…

After years of school improvement efforts to include Georgia's four hundred-million-dollar Race to the Top grant, Georgia's elementary, middle, and high schools have failed to significantly improve schoolwide student achievement. This qualitative portraiture study focused on three successful principals of previously chronically failing Title I…

As a result of federal legislation (ESSA, 2015) accreditation ratings of elementary schools are based on the performance of third through fifth grade students on the end of year assessments in the content subjects of reading and math. As a result of these requirements schools that fail to meet these standards are identified as Accreditation Denied…

A safe school environment is crucial to the healthy academic and social development of students, and the safety of a school environment affects a range of factors, from staff retention to parent satisfaction. Perhaps most important, student perceptions of safety affect their academic achievement. When students feel safe, they are better able to…

New York State adopted regulations that mandate collaboration among ESOL and content teachers in integrated periods where ELLs are mainstreamed into general education classes. We documented trends in elementary and ESOL teachers' co-teaching practices across 3 years of state policy implementation. Findings revealed that even with limited…

Bringing the transformative change to classrooms that supports student achievement requires a high level of collaboration and leadership. This article describes an innovative model for school improvement that focuses on coaching to elevate educators into true change-makers.

Home education support groups and associations are increasingly becoming hubs for home learning communities to share resources and knowledge. This literature review examined (a) motivations for joining homeschool groups; (b) values and beliefs that led to the formation of homeschool groups; and (c) how the culture of homeschool groups aids in…

Accessibly written and specifically designed for secondary schools, "Implementing Systematic Interventions" provides you with the tools you need to successfully organize for and smoothly implement schoolwide intervention strategies. Discover how to: (1) organize administrative support and leadership teams; (2) create effective…

Large-scale learning assessments can be used to generate performance and contextual data on student learning outcomes. They can be national, regional, or international; school based or household based. The UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) has conducted a qualitative study to explore both how and why learning…