The goal of this work was to examine the effects of computerized instruction in elementary school children in the context of COVID-19 school closure and pre-COVID-19 times. Specifically, this project investigated how the program i-Ready may facilitate reading skills during COVID-19 school closure and pre-COVID in-person learning. Moreover, this…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to focus on the difference of Instructional Reading Level (IRL) scores in Title I public elementary school students, before and after Tier II Response to Intervention (RTI) was implemented. Theoretical Framework: This study was applied theoretically to Vygotsky's sociocultural…

In a large school district in Florida, many third-grade students have been retained over a 7-year period. Enrollment documents, such as summer school registration forms and seven annual summer reading camp evaluations in 2013-2019, indicated that 13,693 students attended the 4-week summer reading camp during this period. Summer reading camps are…

In 2 experiments, I investigated the role of conditioned seeing on incidental bidirectional naming (Inc-BiN) for unfamiliar stimuli and reading achievement. In Experiment 1, I investigated the correlation, associations, and differences between conditioned seeing, Inc-BiN, and measures of reading achievement for 49 participants in kindergarten…

Historically, research has focused on academic underperformance for students of color and those living in poverty, with less attention given to protective factors that promote academic achievement. Students' perceptions of their school environment (i.e., school climate) and their social-emotional competence have emerged as protective factors for…

The achievement gap is a historic and pervasive issue of social justice in education. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has further stalled student achievement in reading and math, amplifying the urgency for accelerating student learning to close the gap. The third grade is a critical year for literacy in education; if students have not mastered…

The challenge that existed in the Fall of 2020 was not knowing exactly how students and teachers could adapt to a new way of teaching and learning amidst a world-wide pandemic. There has long been a debate over the effectiveness of online versus face-to-face teaching. The researcher found insufficient research so far has been done on the…

The research design for this study was grounded in descriptive research to explore participants' experiences and perceptions of using evidence-based reading strategies to motivate, engage, and advance student learning in the primary grades. Primary teachers' strategies show encouraging impacts on students' learning, specifically in reading,…

There was insufficient understanding of the instructional and leadership practices that led to increased reading achievement of African students by fourth grade in a high-performing Title 1 elementary school in a suburban school district in Texas. Despite an achievement gap, the fourth-grade African American students outperformed their European…

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative, non-experimental study was to determine if there is a difference in reading self-efficacy and perceived learning among fourth- and fifth-grade inner city students who participated in experiential learning and those that did not participate in experiential learning. Experiential learning is…

In this study, the researcher uses quantitative methods to examine the extent to which Title I funding helps public schools with large populations of economically-disadvantaged students increase student academic achievement in reading and math in grades 3-5, and whether the leaders of these schools utilize specific social justice actions…

Students with disabilities (SWDs) in U.S. public schools face unique challenges that profoundly shape their educational experiences and transition into adulthood, such as lower academic achievement and higher rates of exclusionary discipline and juvenile justice involvement. These disparities have far-reaching implications, impacting high school…

Attainment of grade-level reading proficiency by fourth grade is pivotal to student academic success. In fourth grade, students shift from learning to read to reading to learn where they gain the ability to use their reading skills to access knowledge. Despite the connection between fourth grade reading proficiency and future academic success,…

African American males often struggle with reading motivation and reading achievement. The problem addressed in this research study was that low reading motivation in African American males is associated with low scoring on standardized and summative reading assessments. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the reading…

This quantitative study examines the relationship between implementation of the 21st Century Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) program and fourth grade student performance on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Data collection was extracted from schools within South Texas. The campus variation chosen for this study…