We used multilevel mixed modeling to test the extent to which students' music achievement scores were related to their reading and math achievement scores. Of the four levels examined (individual students, classrooms, schools, and districts), only individuals and districts accounted for a significant portion of the total variance in achievement…

Due to the recent racially motivated killings in Ferguson, Missouri (2014); Staten Island, New York (2014); Cleveland, Ohio (2014); Charleston, South Carolina (2015); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2016); and Dallas, Texas (2016), racial and ethnic tensions have heightened across the United States. Whereas schools would seem like optimal spaces for…

The ability to read proficiently is a comprehensive skill necessary for success at all academic levels. Students who consistently read below grade level continue to struggle throughout their school years with little chance of recovery. The administrative leaders of the Ocean View School District (a pseudonym) noticed a decline in reading scores…

This study examined the benefit of utilizing one-item academic and one-item behavior readiness teacher-rated screeners at the beginning of the school year to predict end-of-school year outcomes for middle school students. The Middle School Academic and Behavior Readiness (M-ABR) screeners were developed to provide an efficient and effective way to…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a brief and feasible universal screener for kindergarten readiness for predicting follow-up outcomes in first grade. Participants included kindergarten and first-grade teachers and students from 6 urban elementary schools. Students included slightly more males than females (54%;…

If big-city districts are looking to close budget gaps, shuttering schools may not be the best strategy. Closing schools does not save very much money in the context of an urban district's budget, and selling or leasing surplus school buildings tends to be difficult because they're often old and in struggling neighborhoods, a recent report from a…

This report provides a new resource for understanding the state of urban public schools in the U.S. Geared specifically toward city leaders who want to evaluate how well traditional district and charter schools are serving all their city's children and how their schools compare to those in other cities, the report measures outcomes for all public…

The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a brief, feasible, and cost-effective universal screener for kindergarten readiness. The study examined whether teacher ratings of kindergarteners' academic, behavioral, and overall readiness at the beginning of the year were predictive of academic, emotional, and behavioral outcomes at…

Schoolwide support for higher achievement is essential. Students need a nurturing environment where they feel secure about learning, where the goal is success for every student and where students are confident they will receive mentoring and encouragement to prepare for their futures. Many schools are reinventing themselves to motivate students to…

This article focuses on the growing role of the private sector in public education and the implications of this role on issues of social justice and leadership in public schooling. In the USA, until the early 1980s, teachers, school administrators, and professional school staff provided leadership in areas of curriculum and instructional…

Engaging students requires giving them a say in what they learn and how they will learn it. However, in strictly disciplined, rule-bound schools with test-driven curricula, this cannot happen. Edison Schools, Inc., a for-profit Education Management Organization (EMO), and Confluence Academy, an Edison-run school located in one of the most…

The relationship between elementary school enrollment and fifth-grade achievement was explored using data from a large urban Missouri school district. The district's 39 elementary schools received uniform allocations of resources from the district and used the same instructional materials but varied considerably in K-5 enrollment, socioeconomic…

Compares fifth grade reading and math achievement scores for schools on the Missouri Mastery Achievement Test in rural and urban elementary schools. Found no significant differences between rural and urban schools on achievement. Rural schools were more homogeneous in achievement and SES. Free and reduced lunch status was the best predictor of…

This study was concerned with the relationship between school enrollment and elementary student academic achievement in a large urban school district. The Stanford 9 NCE (Normal Curve Equivalent) reading, math, language, science, and social science achievement scores for fifth-grade students in K-5 schools with enrollments of less than 200,…

It is sometimes thought that the innovations needed to make urban schools effective may be somewhat easier to bring about, on the average, in a parochial school than a public school, because it is hypothesized that schools which are not part of a large public school bureaucracy are relatively more free to innovate. If this is true, it is…