This manuscript explores teacher beliefs about technology in three 9th grade English classrooms. Examining these teachers' pedagogical uses of technology and their discussion of technology with their students, this study highlights how teacher beliefs can render technology invisible. Teachers demonstrated consistent assumptions that technology…

In classrooms, the use of newer technology--particularly laptops, tablets, and smart-phones--in the teaching-learning process is a relatively new phenomenon with little investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions and experiences regarding the emergent technology used to achieve learning in a high school setting.…

Many reports on rural education give little attention to digital learning. At most, they tend to note either infrastructure needs or the potential of remote course access, with little focus on instruction, outcomes, or exemplars. This report intends to begin correcting that imbalance by connecting the dots between rural regions, rural education,…

In 2016, McREL and the University of Southern California (USC) were awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund (Award Number U411C150011) to develop a translation of the identity-based motivation (IBM) in vivo program "Pathways to Success" to a digital platform to deliver IBM to middle and…

Students need a genuine voice in the content, process, outcome, and assessment of their learning so they can take ownership of their education (Jaquith and Hathaway 2012). Digital art portfolios allow students to research, document, and reflect on the development and assessment of their learning. Unlike traditional portfolios, which typically…

Increasingly, school districts, schools, and their partners are incorporating technology into strategies that help engage young people who have fallen off track to on-time graduation get back on track and move into effective educational pathways. This is especially true in light of the continuing pressure to raise high school graduation rates and…

"Hybrid schools" are schools that combine "face-to-face" education in a specific place with online instruction. In this article, the authors describe school models which offer a vision for what deeply integrated technology can mean for children's education, for the way schools are structured, and for the promise of greater…

Research is needed to understand the impact of high-stakes testing on teachers' practices and consequently on their students, particularly at schools that serve large numbers of low-income students and students of color. In this research study, we examined how a state's annual high-stakes test and administrative mandates influenced the assessment…

Social networking and other technologies, if used judiciously, present the means to integrate 21st century skills into the classroom curriculum. But they also introduce challenges that educators must overcome. Increased concerns about plagiarism and access to technology can test educators' creativity and school resources. Air Academy High School,…

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) What foods high school students participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are discarding the most? (2) How much of these foods they are discarding? and (3) What are their perceptions towards school lunch? Methods: Researchers measured plate waste at two high…

In recent years, many states have set ambitious postsecondary completion or attainment goals, driven in part by concerns that other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations are outpacing the United States in the number of adults holding a postsecondary credential. While the U.S. has made modest gains since 2000 in the…

We investigate how students connect explanations and arguments from evidence about plant growth and metabolism--two key practices described by the "Next Generation Science Standards". This study reports analyses of interviews with 22 middle and high school students postinstruction, focusing on how their sense-making strategies led them…

This study examined the question, "What is the impact of a digital math intervention on secondary ELL students' mathematical capabilities and perceptions of their future possibilities?" The hypothesis was that through its direct effect on increasing students' math ability and its indirect effect on increasing students' perceived math…

Learning about climate change is tangible when it addresses impacts that can be observed close to home. In this program, sixty-four diverse middle and high school students produced videos about locally relevant climate change topics. Graduate and undergraduate students provided mentorship. The program engaged students in research and learning…

The success of each nation will depend on the agility (see www.edgility.net) of its citizens to acquire and utilize knowledge. In response to this imperative governments have crafted and followed rigorous educational strategies. For example, the European Union's Lisbon Agreement outlines an agenda for education and training focusing on educational…