Districts and schools are under pressure to increase student academic outcomes while meeting their various social-behavioral needs. This pressure is compounded by the responsibility of creating climates that are safe and equitable for all students where teachers can teach, and all students can learn. However, far too often, negative, and…

The purpose of this narrative study was to explore secondary ELA teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning in a technology-rich educational environment. This study was conducted in a central high school district in New York state across four school buildings. Though the central high school district provides uniform guidance and material for…

The purpose of this mixed methods, longitudinal Improvement Science study was to examine the conditions that influence teacher capacity to engage in continuous improvement using data to guide curriculum and instructional changes. This study took place during the global COVID-19 pandemic. We Can Do It Academy, a pseudonym, was a designated priority…

The following designed-based implementation research (DBIR) study explores the impacts of a research-practice partnership (RPP) on two fifth grade ELA teachers and the researcher as they engaged with the designing and implementation of two critical literacy pedagogy (CLP) units through the adaptation of mandated New York State Common Core (NYSCC)…

New York State public school students in grades 3-8 are required to take the Common Core assessments, now based on Next Generation Learning Standards, in English language arts and mathematics. Students are also required to take English and Algebra Regents exams in high school. Elementary students who often perform on-grade level in the classroom…

This causal-comparative study provides a descriptive analysis of the impact of participation in co-taught classrooms compared to traditional classrooms on the academic growth of students with and without disabilities. This issue is examined in English language arts and mathematics using the New York State testing program results. A…

This teacher research study utilized a multiple case study approach to explore how 7th grade students in three concurrent ELA settings perceived teaching and learning in classroom environments with varying degree of new literacies implementation. Students were studied in a supplemental ELA class known as TEAM time and during their voluntary…

Instructional time spent on elementary social studies has waned in the context of high stakes testing of math and English Language Arts. Integrating social studies within an English Language Arts instructional block creates learning opportunities that more closely align with recommendations from the National Council for the Social Studies (2009)…

Students living in poverty are now the majority of the K-12 student population in the United States. Growing up in poverty results in lower self-regulation, executive function, and readiness to learn. Researchers suggest that mindfulness practices, such as yoga, can enhance student self-regulation and executive function, thereby increasing student…

This non-experimental study investigated the relationship of teachers' trust towards their administrators and student achievement. Ginsberg's (2003) survey, as modified from Smalt's (1997) Teachers' Analysis of Their Principals' Supervisory Styles (TAPES), was translated to an on-line assessment and emailed to teacher participants from three…

This quantitative research project analyzes the relationship between the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) subtest and the New York State English Language Arts (NYS ELA) test. The study was completed in Upstate New York using the results of the NYS third-grade tests from the 2017-2018 school…

The purpose of this study was to explore specific leadership practices of high school principals, as identified by teachers and principals, and these practices' relationship to student achievement in English language arts. The measurements used for student achievement in English language arts were the proficiency percentages on the 2016 New York…

This study used generalizability ("G")-theory as a theoretical framework to study the effects of multiple facets on the variability and reliability of New York State Grades Four through Six constructed-response scores for ELA and Mathematics. The impact of the study could be both timely and significant given the current political climate…

Due in part to higher demands for educational accountability at both the Federal and state levels, the role of the school principal has come to the forefront. Previous literature has considered the indirect ways in which school principals affect student achievement. Of particular interest has been the implementation of instructional leadership by…

The main purpose of this study was to see the effect of a Balanced Literacy program on the students' academic achievement (the 8th Grade NYS ELA exams) between the years of 2005, 2006, and 2007. This study analyzed the effects of Balanced Literacy on student achievement scores at the 8th grade level. In addition, the effect of teacher's training…