The study examined the self-reported understandings of selected 3rd to 12th grade teachers had of assessment and the assessment practices they reported implementing in their classrooms along with evidence extracted from written lesson plans. The literature on classroom assessment supports the idea that teachers who create meaningful assessments,…

Middle College High Schools have contributed to the academic success of at-risk minority students across the country. This educational reform model has been recognized as having a positive impact on minority and poor students. However, an exhaustive search of the literature revealed no documented research to date interpreting the effects of this…

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of cooperative learning instruction, specifically by using the Jigsaw instructional strategy on science achievement and attitudes towards science among 11th grade students. Based upon previous research literature, it was hypothesized that significant differences existed on gains between general…

The focus of this research was on students' low graduation rate in a New York State high school, investigating a possible correlation between students' longitudinal English Language Arts (ELA) exams and their graduation status. In the 2010-11 school year, 25% of the students at the high school of study failed to graduate, a rate which was 5% lower…

This dissertation is a qualitative practitioner research study in which I explore how my students and I engage in critical literacy using sociopolitical Articles of the Week (AoWs). Critical literacy is the ability to read, write, and speak about texts in a reflective manner to better understand power, inequality, and injustice that prevails in…

Although the field of school psychology currently calls upon practitioners to implement evidence-based interventions to address reading deficits, the literature base is limited and inconclusive when it comes to effectiveness of reading interventions at the high school level, especially with older adolescents with reading disabilities. The current…

On the writing component of the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, 12th grade high school students' scores on argumentative tasks were lower than on tasks that required them to explain or to convey an experience ("National Assessment of Educational Progress," 2011). Similarly, 11th and 12th graders at the research…

Engagement and motivation for participants in online learning have been studied extensively in business courses and in postsecondary courses. These studies have provided evidence of the difficulty for students to learn from and even complete online courses. Now that online learning is being promoted in high schools to cut costs and provide more…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have become one of the most talked about ideas in education today. Many K-12 schools are working to become PLCs in the hope that student learning will improve when adults commit themselves to talking collaboratively about teaching and learning and then take action that will improve student learning and…

This qualitative research study examined how exemplary 11th grade English teachers described their writing instruction. The seven teacher participants were selected for the study after receiving a "highly effective" evaluation and being identified by their principal, an assistant principal, and a department leader as being exemplary…

Thousands of American's enter postsecondary institutions every year and many are under prepared for college-level work. Subsequently, students enroll in or are placed in remedial courses in preparation for the rigor of college level classes. Numerous studies have looked at the impact of developmental course work on student outcomes, but few focus…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative is the latest effort by educational leaders to improve educational outcomes of American students. The standards are intended to bring uniformity in educational content of what is being taught in schools across the nation in order to promote rigor and academic portability. Proponents claimed the new…

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between virtual school size and student achievement in virtual schools in a southwestern state. Enrollment size and the following areas were studied in an attempt to determine student achievement: STAAR English Language Arts/Reading, STAAR Math, STAAR Science, and STAAR Social Studies…

This research study focused on how students engaged in Critical Literacy practices and the ways their teacher attempted to foster such practices. The study included one experienced critical educator (Lewison, Flint, & Van Sluys, 2002) from an ethnically diverse school in the southeastern United States. This early/middle college high school…

Due to the increased access of Pods, Internet, games and communication devices, teachers are finding that students are less receptive to traditional teaching methods. One rural Northeast Georgia high school purchased a wireless student response system, "clickers," for teachers to use to engage students. The purpose of this study was to…