The purpose of this study was to engage practitioners in collaborative inquiry in order to examine the concept of flipped learning. At the core of this concept is the notion of flipping or reversing traditional instructional practice with traditional homework. Nine teachers across three grade spans, K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 and three non-instructional…

Reading ability is one of the most crucial skills learned in elementary school, a primary focus for students in these years. Around the third grade, though, students start transitioning to a skill they will need the rest of their academic and work career--reading to learn. Students begin demonstrating their learning by taking high-stakes…

The levels and growth achievement functions make extreme and diametrically opposed assumptions about the rate at which teacher inputs persist. I first show that if these assumptions are incorrect, teacher value-added estimates can be significantly biased. I then develop a tractable, cumulative model of student achievement that allows for the joint…

Many states have responded to teacher shortages by granting certification to individuals traditionally prepared out-of-state; now, out-of-state prepared teachers comprise a sizable percentage of the teacher workforce in many states. We know little about these teachers, and therefore, in the present study, we estimate the effectiveness of…

This study examines the use of cross-classified random effects models (CCrem) and cross-classified multiple membership random effects models (CCMMrem) to model rater bias and estimate teacher effectiveness. Effect estimates are compared using CTT versus item response theory (IRT) scaling methods and three models (i.e., conventional multilevel…

In August 2010, the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) received a grant of more than $25 million from the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) program for a five-year study to validate its Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) model in three very diverse regions of the United States: rural North…

Open educational resources (OER) are making their way into a variety of educational contexts from formal lesson planning to just in time learning. Educators and training professionals have been recognized as an important audience for these materials. The concepts of "self-efficacy" and "outcome judgment" from social cognitive…

A mixed method, sequential explanatory approach provided insights' regarding critical issues relating to K-12 professional growth and development as well as understanding the effect upon their teaching practices and student achievement. The population of this study consisted of a convenience sample that contained a regional group of educators from…

The author's journey as a strategic staffing principal in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has been one of ups and downs, scary turns and some great success for students. It began in May 2008 when she was asked to move to Devonshire Elementary School with marching orders to "turn the school around." Because of its failure to meet annual…

The LASER (Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform) model, developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC), is a systemic approach to transforming science education consisting of five elements: a research-based, inquiry-driven science curriculum; differentiated professional development; administrative and community…

The LASER (Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform) model, developed by the SSEC, is a systemic approach to transforming science education consisting of five elements: a research-based, inquiry-driven science curriculum; differentiated professional development; administrative and community support; materials support; and assessment.…

The purpose of this comparative case study was to explore the ways educators at the school-level experience a federally directed curriculum policy change and examine the contextual factors that impacted the way it was initially implemented. Application of an organizational learning (OL) lens was incorporated to help illuminate the ways educators…

Teacher retention is of critical concern in rural and high-poverty districts. This case study describes one school’s challenges following the district's budget cuts that eliminated funding for schools' mentor programs. The mentor coordinator at this elementary school faces several dilemmas as she attempts to maintain high-quality support for the…

The Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) Model is a systemic approach to science learning and teaching based on five infrastructure pillars: research-based curriculum, differentiated professional development, administrative and community support, materials support, and assessment. This model uses the Science and…

The purpose of this study was to understand general education teachers' experiences with a school-wide effort to increase the use of evidence-based teaching practices that were highlighted through a professional development workshop in evidence-based reading instruction. A qualitative case study method was used to describe the experiences of five…