Improving teacher effectiveness is a key strategy to ensure student readiness for college and careers and to address achievement gaps and persistent low performance. In response to the new Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) the National Writing Project (NWP) created a professional development (PD) program to support…

This article summarizes an experimental study that investigated the use of Renzulli Learning on oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, science achievement, and social studies achievement among 383 elementary and middle schools students. The Renzulli Learning System is an online educational learning system and profiler designed to match…

Social network analysis is increasingly used in the study of policy implementation and school leadership. A key question that remains is that of instrument validity--that is, the question of whether these social network survey instruments measure what they purport to measure. In this paper, we describe our work to examine the validity of the…

The needs of academically advanced/high-ability students may not be met in today's schools. When educational needs are not met, students may not reach full potential, may lose intrinsic motivation for learning, and may develop poor work and study habits. The rural school district involved in this study lacks a formal gifted and talented program.…

Science education reform and state testing accountability call upon principals to become instructional leaders in science. Specifically, elementary school principals must take an active role in science instruction to effectively improve science education for all students including English Language Learners. As such, the research questioned posed…

This study examined the relationship between learning style, level of resistance to change, and teacher retention in schools implementing an intensive schoolwide technology and media integration model. Researchers found that teachers with ST (sensing-thinking) and SF (sensing-feeling) learning style preferences, as described by the Myers-Briggs…

Understanding the emotional energy of teachers may provide evidence for the nature of the learning environment. Herein, the concept of overexcitabilities (OEs) was used to explore the ways that teachers of general and gifted classes describe their own intensities or emotional preferences. Q methodology was used with 24 teachers from American and…

This study implements a teacher professional development program with an aim toward developing mathematics teachers' discourse-based assessment practice (DAP) and exploring its possible impact on teacher discourse in sessions and in DAP in the classroom. DAP is a type of formative assessment practice which consists of questioning and feedback.…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate inservice elementary and middle school teachers' conceptions of photosynthesis and respiration, basic concepts they are expected to teach. A forced-choice instrument assessing selected standards-based life science concepts with non-scientific conceptions embedded in distracter options was…

Since No Child Left Behind was enacted, school districts have felt forced to focus on testing. Almost every curriculum decision is based on raising test scores. Under pressure to raise test scores, teachers are encouraged to implement strategies in their classrooms to prepare their students for the PSSA. No Child Left Behind has left school…

AISD's Teacher of the Year Program (TOY) recognizes and honors teachers who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and teaching. This report investigates the differences between TOY and other teachers in AISD.

This study examined the effects of change in teacher goal emphases on students' efficacy beliefs in mathematics across the transition to middle school. The sample (N = 929) included primarily White (65%) and Black (27%) students, and approximately one third received free or reduced-fee lunch. Analyses grouped children by cross-classification of…

Much of the literature on asthma is based on non-school data collected primarily in clinics. As asthma is given greater national attention, it is crucial to examine the educational consequences of the disease in the context of school where children spend much of their days. This study examines the educational impact of asthma on elementary and…

Teaching for economic justice can be challenging for upper elementary and middle school teachers. Many teachers may feel uncomfortable with the subject matter and thus avoid addressing sensitive social issues related to economic/financial inequities. This article describes how selected songs and works of visual art, expressions of social protest…

Since their inception in 2001 and 2004 respectively, "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) and "The Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act" (IDEIA) have produced litigious feelings throughout the world of education. One of the most controversial initiatives which evolved from these aforementioned…