AISD data suggest that for every 10 new freshmen in 2002-2003, 8 graduated from high school on time in 2005-2006, 5 enrolled in college in 2006-2007, and 4 were still enrolled in college as of 2007-2008.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a significant relationship exists between the implementation of the Morristown-Hamblen High School East (MHHSE) Freshman Academy, student academic achievement, and the high school graduation rate at MHHSE. The testing variables included GPA, attendance, number of core course failures,…

This article is about my experiences as a ninth grade history teacher trying to implement a "big idea" unit on ancient African history. My experiences as a first year teacher and also my experience in seeing this unit develop over three years are chronicled. I conclude that implementing a big idea strategy of instruction is possible in a…

The transition from 8th grade to 9th grade is one that is replete with challenges for students, especially for minority students who live in economically disadvantaged communities. One low-income, high minority comprehensive high school in the western United States implemented five separate strategies to create a freshman transition program to aid…

This report reviews Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance in Texas during the 2009-10 school year. Campus-, district-, and state-level examination results for students in Texas public schools are presented, as well as state-level examination results for students in Texas public and…

This Striving Readers evaluation examined the impact of a targeted intervention for struggling adolescent readers and investigated the impact of a whole-school literacy model on students in participating schools. This study was conducted in ten middle, nine high, and two 6-12 schools in seven rural school districts serving large percentages of…

Child psychologist Peg Dawson explains that some students who appear to be lazy simply lack the executive skills they need to stay organized and get their work done. She tells the story of Josh, a student with attention problems whose academic performance started plummeting in middle school. With the help of a coach, Josh learned to manage his…

The Algebra Project DR K-12, funded by the National Science Foundation as a Research and Development Project, addressed the challenge of offering significant STEM content for students to ensure public literacy and workforce readiness. The project's primary purpose was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a model for establishing four-year…

Children who are homeless or in foster care change schools more often than their non-mobile peers. The impact of school mobility increases their risk of academic failure (Evans, 1996; Ingersoll, Scamman, & Eckerling, 1989; Mao, 1997, Mehana & Reynolds, 2003; Reynolds & Wolf, 1999). Laws enforcing the right of students to remain in…

In 2006-07, seven Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) middle schools piloted Algebraic Thinking as an alternate approach to teaching middle school mathematics. Algebraic Thinking was developed to help students in grade 6 reach higher mathematics courses by combining the regular and advanced middle school mathematics courses into one…

Interest in students who exhibit characteristics with difficulties in learning can be traced as far back as 1800. In order to better understand the complexities and causes of learning disabilities, many researchers (Bannatyne, 1968, 1974; Rugal, 1974) have investigated ways to better identify learners who struggle with academics. A strong argument…

Ninth-grade predictors of dropout risk among Austin Independent School District's English language learner students included the following: having an attendance rate below 90%, being 16 years or older, earning less than 5 course credits, attending a Title I campus and scoring beginning or intermediate on the state's English proficiency assessment…

This study followed a cohort of students from Grade 1 to Grade 11 in one struggling school district that had Reading Recovery (RR) in the Grade 1. The RR program is an intervention given only to students in the Grade 1 who are reading below grade level on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Assessment. The researched district had a high poverty, high…

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of ninth-grade students and their teachers and parents/guardians with regard to the transition from middle school to high school. A mixed-method approach with both qualitative and quantitative measures assessed attitudes toward this transition. Student focus groups were also conducted…

The Tutoring Incentive Program (TIP) provided through Austin Community College (ACC) focused on providing support for 9th-grade students enrolled in Algebra I at AISD's Eastside Memorial High School.