These researchers analyzed the perceptions of parents of students determined to be at-risk about their involvement with their children. Parents (n = 229), predominantly Hispanic, were surveyed from elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in a district in South Texas near the Texas-Mexico border. Quantitative data obtained from the…

This is an abridged, summary report of selected findings from "Pieces of the Puzzle: Factors in the Improvement of Urban School Districts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress"--a comprehensive study prepared by the Council of the Great City Schools in collaboration with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and with…

The article explores the ways "uneven geographical development" conditions and is conditioned by local placemaking practices. Guided by David Harvey's work along with Henri Lefebvre's three dimensions of spatial production--spatial practices, representations of space, and spaces of representation or the "spatial imaginary"--I…

Discusses how study teams at one Texas elementary school function in helping the individual student, and provides an evaluation of this approach based on three examples: (1) the case study team; (2) the reading study team; and (3) the quality of life team. Lessons learned from this approach are explored. (GR)

Describes the architectural design, costs, general description, and square footage data for the Joe M. Pirtle Elementary School, Belton Independent School District in Temple, Texas. A floor plan and photos are included along with a list of manufacturers and suppliers used for the project. (GR)

Educational leaders need to ask themselves how it is possible that nearly 40% of 329,969 Texas fourth grade students are reading below grade level? With accountability standards rising, how does any school with an at-risk population produce fluent readers and in turn master grade level expectations? Scholars agree that meaning derives from…

Guided by a new framework, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment was updated in 2009 to keep the content current with key developments in science, curriculum standards, assessments, and research. The 2009 framework organizes science content into three broad content areas. Physical science includes concepts…

Presents design features of the Dawson Elementary School (Corpus Chriti, Texas) where an atmosphere of an old town square and the feeling of community have been created. Photos and a floor plan are provided. (GR)

According to the Texas State Board of Education in 2002, 60% of teachers in Texas classrooms quit the profession after only five years in the classroom. In 1998-99, Texas filled over 63,000 teaching positions. Most vacant positions resulted from existing teachers retiring (11,000) or leaving the profession (46,600). A recent study in Texas…

Purpose: The aim of this study was two-fold: to demonstrate a general construct of schools called academic optimism and to show it was related to student achievement in urban elementary schools, even controlling for socioeconomic factors, and school size. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 99 urban elementary schools in Texas…

The authors--a second grade classroom teacher and a university professor of education--decided to collaborate. Melanie wanted to find out if she could help her students increase their reading and writing comprehension by presenting a sequence of events in an activity (for example, the steps in building a house) and then have the students write the…

Using latent variable structural equation modeling, we tested a theoretical model positing that grade retention has a positive effect on children's teacher- and peer-rated academic competencies and on sociometric measures of peer acceptance. We also expected that the positive effect of grade retention on peer acceptance would be mediated by…

This report summarizes preliminary and exploratory research conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools and the American Institutes for Research on urban school systems participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The study is one of the first large-scale analyses…

An important feature of the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program of the National Science Foundation is to increase K-12 student achievement in math and science by increasing the quality, quantity, and diversity of the nation's K-12 math and science teachers. Because the underlying supply of math and science teachers is never directly…

The promise of dual language education has spurred a movement in the field of bilingual education to shift from remedial programs to enrichment forms of bilingual education. Although research supports the effectiveness of such programs, many programs do not maintain their level of implementation and quickly revert to their original remedial form.…