This article focuses on an argument-based inquiry (ABI) approach to a fourth grade unit on waves. A fourth-grade teacher included multiple opportunities for students to read, write, and use language to represent their understanding of physical science Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) performance expectations (NGSS Lead States 2013). He…

In recent years, teacher collaboration has emerged as an important strategy to drive improvement, informed by research showing how on-the-job interactions can boost teacher development and effectiveness. Schools across the United States are adjusting their professional cultures and workplace practices in response, creating formal opportunities for…

This study used historical data to find associations between changes in policies, funding, and accountability stemming from No Child Left Behind and the provision of services offered to students identified as gifted in the state of Washington. Descriptive statistics and a regression model are used to examine the change in gifted programs by school…

During early childhood, practitioners and family members are often tasked with determining optimal approaches to support social skill development in young children with developmental disabilities in inclusive and self-contained settings. Eight different evidence based approaches are highlighted (social narratives, scripting, pivotal response…

Cultivating and retaining special educators competent to serve students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) has proven persistently difficult. Improving educational systems' capacity to meet this challenge will require better understanding of the roles special educators in these settings should be prepared for and supported to fulfill.…

An eight-step instruction model was used to train a self-contained classroom teacher, speech-language pathologist, and two instructional assistants in partner-augmented input, a modeling strategy for teaching augmentative and alternative communication use. With the exception of a 2-hr training session, instruction primarily was conducted during…

Survey research (n = 366) examined educators' beliefs about the efficacy of five pedagogical models (English as a second language ("ESL") "self-contained," "ESL push-in," "ESL pullout," "bilingual," and "dual language") for English language learners who differ in English literacy…

This study sought to explore and describe the extent to which research based practices were employed for cultivating an environment that fostered reading motivation in self-contained classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). To accomplish this, a descriptive multiple case study design was employed in which data were…

Background/Context: While some commentators view education as a social mobility mechanism, many scholars argue that schools reproduce rather than challenge social inequality. A vast literature on the role of family background and educational stratification identifies various factors that help account for how schools contribute to reproducing…

Coaching has been shown to improve the use of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs), but relatively few studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of coaching for adults belonging to minority groups and paraprofessionals in public elementary school settings. In this study, a multiple probe design across participants was used…

Nearly 30% of U.S. schools have students with severe disabilities who participate in a self-contained adapted physical education (SAPE) setting, separate from their typically developing classmates. It is imperative that physical education teachers become familiar with pedagogical strategies for planning and teaching SAPE. The purpose of this…

Calls for equity in education for historically marginalized student groups, including students with disabilities, are continuous and long-standing, as access to high-quality education remains elusive for far too many students. As part of a larger study, I conducted this ethnographic case study involving two first-grade students, one who was…

In order to reach gender equity in the gifted population, an affirmative action policy was instituted in Israel to increase the number of girls identified as gifted. The purpose of this study was to compare the self-efficacy beliefs of girls in the top 1.5% (gifted girls (GG)) with those of girls in the top 3% (GG in affirmative action). It was…

Recent trends indicate a move away from self-contained classrooms and toward content-focused departmentalization in elementary schools. This study takes a snapshot of the existing organizational structures used in elementary schools in one district and explores administrators' beliefs and practices regarding this phenomenon. Our findings suggest…

The effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention to improve the problem-solving performance of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during vocational tasks was examined. A multiple-probe across-students design was used to illustrate the effectiveness of point-of-view video modeling paired with practice sessions and a self-operated cue…