The problem addressed through this study was the inconsistent implementation of RTI2 in the mathematics classes for special education (SPED) upper elementary (i.e., Grades 3-5) students at a Southwestern, urban Tennessee school district (SUTSD). Students in SPED have low mathematics proficiency. Researchers have demonstrated that RTI2 is a process…

This self-study describes my year-long investigation to create caring community in my fourth-grade classroom. An introspective and dialogic pedagogy of intention-setting revealed students' experiences of taken-for-granted uncaring. This window into students' experiences afforded me opportunities to model care. Intentionality, dialogue, and…

The current evidence base for outdoor and nature-based education in a context of education for sustainability is limited and unrepresentative of the realities of small, urban schools, which tend to be characterised by small outdoor spaces devoid of nature. To address this research gap, we carried out two studies in Malta, as an example of a…

This convergent mixed-methods study explored the relation between strategies fourth-grade students self-reported to navigate and interpret science texts and their performance on a comprehension posttest. Using Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA), results reveal a higher degree of metacognitive awareness and the ability to orally explain one's…

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to describe the successful instructional strategies that influence student engagement in an urban elementary school in Virginia. This study was designed to focus on the instructional strategies' teachers use to teach science and how those instructional strategies influence student engagement in third,…

A team of literacy, science, and theatre educators have been working to engage children in an urban public school system in the United States through embodied performances, where students embody and dramatise science ideas. This study focuses on one fourth-grade classroom when instruction was done remotely due to Covid-19. Children in the class…

Background: Outdoor education may positively impact the educational, physical, and emotional development of youth, but studies are sparse among urban children. Purpose: To investigate 1) physical activity (PA) levels in outdoor versus indoor education environments, 2) science learning gains during outdoor education, and 3) programmatic…

This study examined the perceptions of participants regarding the use of embedded video demonstration lessons during literacy professional development sessions. The videos were captured in an urban elementary classroom and modeled two new literacy strategies. Based on survey responses from 160 kindergarten through fifth grade elementary school…

This non-experimental, quantitative study explored how factors related to teachers' beliefs, curricular orientation, training and support received, and their identity and background experiences are associated with their use of curriculum. Specifically, this study sought to examine teachers' use of a curricular resource specifically designed to…

Black boys in grades third through fifth are not developing reading comprehension skills compared to their peers in an urban southeastern school district. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore perceptions of third through fifth grade reading teachers on reading comprehension of Black boys in this district. The conceptual…

The problem investigated in this study was the decline in student achievement since the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) by the third- through sixth-grade teachers at the local elementary school. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions at the study location about their knowledge of PBL and…

This randomized controlled trial examined the impact of adaptive, web-based, scaffolded silent reading instruction on 426 fourth- and fifth-grade students in an urban US school district. Reading proficiency was evaluated in the fall and spring using the Group Reading Assessment Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) and an eye movement recording system…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze the mainstream classroom teachers in this unique K-8 school setting report focusing on English Learners (ELs), what they perceive to be their roles and responsibilities in working with ELs, and what they want to learn further about ELs. For this study, mainstream teachers refer to those who…

Despite the need to possess adequate problem-solving skills (Grady, Watkins, & Montalvo, 2014), mathematics performance among students--especially in urban communities, remains stagnant (NCES, 2003; TIMMS, 2015; NAEP, 2019). Langlie (2008) held problem-solving skills introduced in elementary schools would prepare students for tremendous…

Despite the need to possess adequate problem-solving skills (Grady, Watkins, & Montalvo, 2014), mathematics performance among students -- especially in urban communities, remains stagnant (NCES, 2003; TIMMS, 2015; NAEP, 2019). Langlie (2008) held problem-solving skills introduced in elementary schools would prepare students for tremendous…