This experimental study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent reading intervention compared to a business-as-usual comparison condition on the reading comprehension and content area vocabulary outcomes of adolescent students with low reading comprehension. We randomly assigned 9th-grade students with low reading comprehension to a…

This study examined the effects of Reading Intervention for Adolescents, a 2-year extensive reading intervention targeting current and former English learners identified as struggling readers based on their performance on the state accountability assessment. Students who enrolled at three participating urban high schools were randomly assigned to…

In response to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2001 (No Child Left Behind), states have sought various ways to adequately assess students in order to in turn hold schools and districts accountable for closing the achievement gap. As the state of Texas, motivated by pressure from parents, teachers, and other vested interest groups who…

The entrance into ninth grade is a critical time for urban high school students. A successful transition is needed to ensure that students do not fall behind and graduate on time with their cohort. There was a need to study the perceptions of teachers to better understand specific issues surrounding the transition to high school. The purpose of…

This research explored whether experiences with warmth in middle childhood are linked to increased levels of positive affect, decreased levels of negative affect, and decreased levels of disagreeable interactions in text-message communication in adolescence. Participants included 218 children (and their parents and peers) who were on average…

The transition from middle school to high school can be challenging for some students. Many school districts are implementing practices to ease the transition to high school. The current study examined one school district's practices and procedures for the development and implementation of a ninth-grade center. In this study, I examined the…

In recent years, technology integration and innovation have been an intriguing topic that educators discuss frequently when trying to make connections between student engagement and student learning. Many institutions have begun incorporating their own Bring Your Own Device programs, which allow students to utilize their personal mobile technology…

In the American K-12 educational system, school transitions are frequent and predictable--typically occurring when students enter kindergarten and when they move from elementary to middle school and again from middle to high school. Although much is known about the short- and long-term implications for the transition to formal K-12 schooling and…

Each year, almost one-fourth of all public high school students, and nearly one-third of all blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans, fail to graduate from public high school with their class. Course failures and high school dropout rates are nationally higher in the ninth grade than in any other high school grade level, and 19% fail to graduate.…

Dropout remains a persistent challenge within high school education. In this paper, we present a case study on automatically detecting whether a student is at-risk of dropout within a diverse school district in Texas. We predict whether a student will drop out in a future school year from data on students' discipline, attendance, course-taking,…

This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) examination participation and performance results in Texas and the United States for the 2018-19 school year. The results are for public and nonpublic schools combined and are presented by race/ethnicity and gender. [For "Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examination Results in…

This study, Students' Perceptions of Effective Classroom Learning Environments and their Impact on Pass or Fail on the Standardized State Assessment, was conducted to research ninth-grade students' perceptions of effective classroom learning environments as they impact their pass or fail levels on the standardized state assessment in Algebra I.…

With a steady increase of virtual learning courses taught throughout K-12 education, limited empirical research exists to allow educational leaders and policy makers the ability to accurately identify student demographic characteristics that correlate to the acquisition of virtual course credit (Barbour, 2009). The purpose of this quantitative…

"Xtreme Reading" is a supplemental literacy curriculum designed to improve the literacy skills of struggling students in grades 6 to 12. The curriculum is primarily designed to help students improve their vocabulary, decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension skills. To ensure a productive learning environment, students initially learn…

This executive summary report includes results for Austin Partners in Education (APIE) programs in 2019-2020 including math classroom coaching, GEAR UP tutoring, college readiness, and mentoring. It highlights continued academic programs serving students in middle and high school and describes APIE support provided to teachers' instruction. As…