This quantitative study examined the impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) implementing a "Focus on Learning" in a Title I school in north central Georgia. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact PLCs can have on student growth and achievement in fourth and fifth-grade mathematics, once teachers spend time…

Sustainable development (SD) and science education have become interwoven categorical issues under the name of science education for sustainable development (SESD). Education can play a crucial role in merging the dimensions of SD as ecology, economy, and energy, along with society in a united holistic goal. Furthermore, it can provide the…

Many studies have linked quality in early childhood education and care [ECEC] to school performance, but the mechanisms of how ECEC process quality affects children in ways that lead to improved school performance is unclear. In this study on 7431 children in Norway, we test the hypothesis that the relation between process quality in ECEC and…

Individual characteristics of neighborhood context, like concentrated socioeconomic disadvantage, are associated with children's cognitive development, including their academic skill development and executive functions. However, questions remain regarding how neighborhood structural, process, and physical features uniquely predict children's…

School ratings are important factors for school accountability, accreditation, state and federal funding and impacts the community view on a school. This qualitative case study was designed to address Professional Learning Community (PLC) for a Title I school in need of improvement. The problem was the lack of teacher retention, and ability to…

Despite the significant evidence base demonstrating the positive impact of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum on children's social-emotional and mental health outcomes, there has been very little research on its efficacy in improving academic attainment. More generally, the relationship between implementation…

Nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2011 (n = 14,370) were used to examine the grade-level and cumulative outcomes of school absenteeism between kindergarten and fifth grade for students' school performance in the United States. Students who were more frequently absent in any year of…

This brief applies value-added models to student surveys in the CORE Districts to explore whether social-emotional learning (SEL) surveys can be used to measure effective classroom-level supports for SEL. The authors find that classrooms differ in their effect on students' growth in self-reported SEL--even after accounting for school-level…

The goal of Smithsonian Science for North and South Carolina Classrooms was to provide teachers with ongoing, differentiated professional development and research-based curricular materials to improve elementary student achievement in science, mathematics, and reading. This work used an inquiry-based science curriculum, Smithsonian Science for the…

Early fine motor ability is significantly associated with later achievement, even after controlling for typical child-level predictors of school outcomes. Previous longitudinal studies have confirmed this but typically have not included low-income, at-risk populations. Research has distinguished two different aspects of fine motor skills: those…

Although the promise of universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs enhancing student academic outcomes has captured public attention, there has been limited research regarding such programs' impact on students' state test scores. We used multilevel modeling of follow-up data from a multiyear, multisite cluster-randomized efficacy trial to…

Although the promise of universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs enhancing student academic outcomes has captured public attention, there has been limited research regarding such programs' impact on students' state test scores. We used multilevel modeling of follow-up data from a multiyear, multisite cluster-randomized efficacy trial to…

Saint Edmond's Academy is a small, independent, Catholic school in Wilmington, Delaware. Students in Grades 4 to 7 are falling below their peers in other independent schools on standardized tests in mathematics, specifically the Educational Advisory Company Comprehensive Testing Program assessment. Within the scope of this work, my goal was to…

Arts integration and 21st century skills are increasingly relevant to addressing complex student needs in contemporary education. "The Creative Classroom Collaboratives: Creativity, Confidence, & Competence" (C3[superscript 2] ) study found that comprehensive arts integration approaches and peer-to-peer professional collaborations…

Technology's rapid development is changing how educators plan lessons and incorporate these digital resources into classrooms with the expectation of impacting student academic performance. The problem is that teachers need professional development related to blended learning implementation to improve student achievement in elementary (An, 2021;…