Learning opportunities and academic achievement of English learners (ELs) continue to receive spotlight in the field. However, research in "new destination states" (e.g., Tennessee, Virginia)--where schools are experiencing unprecedented growth in ELs--remains limited. Additionally, subgroups within the EL population warrant further…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented disruption in students' academic development. Using reading test scores from 5 million U.S. students in grades 3-8, we tracked changes in achievement across the first two years of the pandemic. Average fall 2021 reading test scores in grades 3-8 were 0.09 to 0.17 standard deviations lower relative to…

This study investigates the reading profiles of rural Grade 5 and 6 students (N = 262), a sample with a high proportion of English language learners. We administered a battery of reading and cognitive assessments to classify students' reading profiles and evaluate if performance on cognitive measures predicted membership in particular profiles.…

The role of play in early elementary education (K-2) generates dichotomous opinions, and more research is required to support efficacious pedagogical decision-making. This pilot study explored the effects of pedagogical approaches on Title I kindergarten students' executive function (EF) to test the hypothesis that children, especially those from…

Well-designed computer or app-based instruction has a number of potential benefits (eg increasing accessibility and feasibility of high-quality instruction, reducing time and resources required for training expert delivery, saving instructional time). However, variation in implementation can still affect outcomes when using educational technology.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects and social validity of Read STOP Write, a text structure intervention for reading and writing, in grades four and five. In a cluster randomized trial, 11 teachers in three elementary schools were randomly assigned to deliver Read STOP Write or RARE Reading & Writing, an alternative…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the very youngest pupils in schools had their schooling and social interactions in the classroom disrupted by lengthy periods of school closures and remote learning. This research focuses particularly on these young pupils, and is exploring how their learning and social skills are recovering two years on from the…

Background: By Grade 4, learners should be able to read fluently and comprehend reading materials at their grade level. However, many learners in Africa, particularly in the Namibian context, seem to go through the primary phase with poor reading skills. Aim: This article examines the overall reading growth of Grade 5 learners, and then…

In this study, we examine the association between attending a Non-Formal Learning Center (NLFC) in Sokoto and Bauchi states for at least nine months and reading outcomes for out-of-school children (OOSC) who are mainstreamed into formal schooling by grade 4 (P4). We use Hierarchical Linear Modeling with data from 1,116 pupil Early Grade Reading…

A person's literacy level impacts multitudinous aspects of their life. Determining and implementing effective procedures to address reading struggles continues to plague the education sector. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how teachers in the fourth grade describe how they select and implement reading intervention…

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant problem for K-12 education. To prevent the spread of the virus, the educational community mandated school closures shifting instructional practices from a traditional face-to-face model into a remote instructional model (Bailey et al., 2021; Bawa, 2020; Domina et al., 2021; Onyema et al., 2020; Wyse et…

Teachers in my school district observed students struggling with their social and emotional skills in the classroom and on the playground; therefore, a group of teachers and administrators began to search for programs to help the school district strengthen student social and emotional skills prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The team…

The student-teacher relationship plays an important role in the development of academic and social skills in early elementary (Torres, Domitrovich, & Bierman, 2015; Vitaro, Boivin, Brendgen, Girard, & Dionne, 2012; etc.). Although the importance of the student-teacher relationship is well-established, the importance for special education…

The problem is that Connecticut school principals face time allocation challenges impacting their ability to ensure student growth in reading and mathematics. With the knowledge of which actions have the greatest impact on student growth, principals can make strategic use of time to increase student achievement. The gap in the literature is that…

Purpose: We examined the extent to which achievement goals predict reading comprehension, measured by two response formats (free recall and constructed response), and how these relations differ for students with and without reading difficulties (RD). We further explored how executive functions (working memory and semantic verbal fluency) mediate…