This study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine the relationship of student, teacher, school, and district-level variables on students' mathematics achievement as measured on the Grade 5 end of year assessment in North Carolina. Analyses indicated that there were statistically significant relationships between gains in student…

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown was particularly challenging for elementary students who experienced disruptions in almost all aspects of their daily activities. Our study addressed a dearth of U.S. studies documenting the adverse effects the pandemic created and continues to have for children by analyzing their drawings. This…

Connection to nature (CTN) can help promote environmental engagement requisite for addressing extreme environmental challenges. Current generations, however, may be less connected to nature than previous ones. Spending time in nature can counter this disconnect, particularly among children. In relation to CTN, this study evaluates the relative…

Limited quantitative research has examined similarities and differences between the academic achievement and discipline outcomes, including suspensions, of students with disabilities in rural and urban schools. Therefore, we leveraged a statewide longitudinal data set to explore academic achievement and discipline outcomes for students with…

Prior research has found that financial investments in North Carolina's early childhood education programs--Smart Start and NC Pre-K--generated positive effects on student achievement in reading and mathematics through eighth grade (Bai et al., 2020). The current study examined if these effects were moderated by two dimensions of educational…

The linguistic awareness/flexibility hypothesis posits that children with better metalinguistic knowledge have improved reading related academic performance. To date, no research has analyzed the effect of morphological or phonological interventions on improving metalinguistic competence for nonstandard dialect users. Sixteen typically developing…

Testing students and using test information to hold schools and, in some cases, teachers accountable for student achievement has arguably been the primary national strategy for school improvement over the past decade and a half. Tests are also intended to be used as a diagnostic tool to identify individual student needs, so that students can be…

According to stereotype threat theory, the prospect of being judged in terms of a negative stereotype triggers underperformance (Steele, 1997; Steele & Aronson, 1995). Targets need not personally subscribe to the negative stereotype to be affected but must simply be aware that others may subscribe to it. The goal of this study was to…

This article examines the influence of teacher assistants and other personnel on outcomes for elementary school students during a period of recession-induced cutbacks in teacher assistants. Using panel data from North Carolina, we exploit the state's unique system of financing its local public schools to identify the causal effects of teacher…

This mixed methods study focused on gifted education screening practices in North Carolina. Specific focus was on the practice of universal screenings using the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and test preparation measures conducted by one school district. The study collected and analyzed data from regular elementary education and elementary AIG…

A transnational turn on language and literacy urges increased attention on the flexible languaging practices of immigrant children who cross the boundaries of languages, cultures, nations, and beyond. This study examines how immigrant children and parents from transnational immigrant families engaged in translanguaging in museums during their…

The current study aimed to explore the COVID-19 impact on the reading achievement growth of Grade 3-5 students in a large urban school district in the U.S. and whether the impact differed by students' demographic characteristics and instructional modality. Specifically, using administrative data from the school district, we investigated to what…

English learners' (ELs) day-to-day experiences in school change when reclassified as fully English proficient. Prior research, however, is mixed on how reclassification influences outcomes. Many studies also do not or cannot explore key long-term outcomes or identify impacts over time. In this study, I leverage longitudinal student data in a…

The current brief provides an overview of the 2021-2022 school year student-to-school psychologist ratio for every United States territory, using the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) counts of school psychologists. In addition to this, data are presented on the percentage change in student-to-school psychologist ratio from the…

Clustered observational studies (COSs) are a critical analytic tool for educational effectiveness research. We present a design framework for the development and critique of COSs. The framework is built on the counterfactual model for causal inference and promotes the concept of designing COSs that emulate the targeted randomized trial that would…