The purpose of this explanatory mixed method study was to assess teachers' perceptions of whole brain learning (WBL) and its effects on student success within eight southern Illinois school districts in rural and suburban areas in kindergarten through fourth grade. Quantitative data were collected from survey questions in SurveyMonkey, providing…

This quantitative, causal-comparative ex-post-facto study primarily examined differences in mathematics achievement between Latinx English Learner (EL) fourth-grade students instructed in English and Spanish within one-way dual/developmental additive elementary bilingual language programs but tested in English. Additional analyses examined the…

The COVID-19 pandemic began in the late months of 2019, and by the spring of 2020, to limit transmission of the virus, schools across the globe closed and transitioned to emergency online teaching. While the move to online teaching and learning was inevitable, many learners, especially in rural and remote areas, found that online schooling had…

In March of 2020, in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Illinois mandated the transition to remote instruction for all schools. Although schools had the option to resume in-person instruction during the 2020-21 school year (SY21), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) acknowledged that in-person instruction may not…

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 was marked by a transition to remote learning in Illinois schools and nationwide. The following school year, schools and families faced difficult decisions about how and when to return to in-person learning. School leaders, parents and caregivers, and students considered how to balance…

Fourth- and fifth-grade students' motivation and engagement during classroom discussions were investigated in 2 studies. Study 1 examined students' moment-by-moment engagement during collaborative peer-managed small-group discussions in comparison to conventional teacher-managed whole-class discussions. Study 2 evaluated the long term effects of…

The effects of bilingual education on reading and math achievement were examined by comparing test scores across different elementary school programs. Results revealed that bilingual Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs benefited both minority-language and majority-language students. Minority-language students in TWI programs outperformed their peers…

Although reading achievement correlates highly with a student's ability to do well in school, not all children achieve in reading. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to investigate whether reading instruction provided in small groups at the child's own reading level, known as "guided reading instruction," would result in…

This study examined how general education teachers perceive the effectiveness of the Response to Intervention (RtI) approach to instruction in identifying students with learning disabilities early. The study also examined how these perceptions impact and influence general education teachers' ability to successfully implement RtI in the classroom.…

The present study examined the cognitive factors that influence children's physical science learning from a multimedia instruction. Using a causally coherent text and visual models, we taught 4th- and 7th-grade children about the observable and molecular properties of the three states of water. We manipulated whether the text was read by a tutor…

The study uses Foucault's framework of governmentality to understand the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on teachers' writing instruction and attitudes toward writing in high- and low-income schools. Using interviews and observations of 18 teachers, the study identified four themes: emphasis on testing, curricular effects, awareness of…

A PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION UNIT WHICH USED PICTORIAL AND SIMULATION TECHNIQUES WAS DEVELOPED TO TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO USE THE CARD CATALOG. ITEMS INVOLVED IN THE UNIT INCLUDED A PROGRAMED TEXTBOOK, A SPECIAL CARD CATALOG, AND A PRACTICE SET OF BOOKS. SUBJECTS WERE STUDENTS FROM GRADES 3, 4, AND 5 WHO WERE DIVIDED INTO AN EXPERIMENTAL AND A CONTROL…

An action research report described a program for enhancing students' ability to focus on instructional processes and oral directions. The targeted population was comprised of 4th-, 5th-, and 8th-grade students from 3 different metropolitan schools in southwest Cook County, Illinois. The problem of off-task behavior, including distractible…

"Options". "Opinions". "Challenges". These are the key words used by a group of gifted 3rd- and 4th-grade students when asked what they want out of math. Although not surprised by the desire for challenges, most of the author's colleagues are intrigued by the students' wishes for options and opinions in math. After…