Over the last decades the United States demographics reflect an increase in student diversity and multilanguage learners have changed the landscape of the education system. Educators are having a difficult time connecting, reaching, and teaching many of these diverse and multilingual learners. As a result, culturally and linguistically diverse…

KIPP Delta College Preparatory School (KIPP: DCPS), an open-enrollment charter school, opened in 2002 in Helena, Arkansas. Since its opening, KIPP: DCPS students have consistently outperformed their peers in the Helena/West Helena School district, and moreover, recent test scores suggest that white students and minority students are achieving at…

According to an extensive review of the literature, effective instructional delivery and "classroom management" practices are critical factors to elevate student achievement (Shindler, Jones, Williams, Taylor, & Cadenas, 2012). The purpose of this study was to analyze a comparison of classroom management practices on student…

This study addressed predictors of the development of word problem solving (WPS) across the intermediate grades. At beginning of 3rd grade, 4 cohorts of students (N = 261) were measured on computation, language, nonverbal reasoning skills, and attentive behavior and were assessed 4 times from beginning of 3rd through end of 5th grade on 2 measures…

This paper examines an increase in upper elementary class sizes in California associated with the K-3 class size reduction program. I also use the variation in fourth and fifth grade class size generated by idiosyncratic first and second grade reductions required to meet program rules to identify a negative impact of larger class sizes on…

Few researchers have addressed student achievement outcomes as a function of grade configurations for older elementary-aged students. Thus, this study was designed to determine differences between students' Grade 5 reading and mathematics achievement in elementary schools (K-5) as compared to intermediate schools (Grade 5, 5-6) for 5 academic…

Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the extent to which school instructional calendar configuration (i.e., year-round or traditional) influenced Grade 5 student academic performance as reflected on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test as a function of student ethnicity (i.e., Hispanic, White, and Black)…

With increased pressures on school districts to enhance student achievement, administrators are implementing professional learning communities (PLCs) as one method to improve student performance (DuFour & Eaker, 1998, Hord, 1997, Thompson, Gregg, & Niska, 2004). Educators working within a PLC experience a shared ideology, supportive…

The following study investigated the relationship between teacher effectiveness, as defined by the teacher's proficiency score on Domain VIII of the Texas Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS), and student achievement on the fourth- and fifth-grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading and mathematics tests. This…

The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, associations exist between students' academic success on achievement tests and the predictor variables of students' socioeconomic status, participation in an after-school program, and gender. Middlesboro Intermediate School contains a high number of students who participate in the federal…

The effects of active participation on student learning was investigated using 20 fifth grade classes which were randomly assigned treatment levels. Results suggest that active student participation exerts a positive influence on fifth grade student achievement of relatively unique instructional material. (Author/MT)

Procedures from educational policy research were used to produce three conceptual models for determining teacher effects in classrooms. The use of a system of equations, as developed for these models, shows promise for theory building in teacher education and instructional design. (Author/GSK)

The relationship between cultural literacy and academic achievement was studied. Scores on the Cultural Literacy Assessment Test were obtained for 611 fifth graders for whom data about academic achievement were available. There was a significant positive correlation between cultural literacy and academic achievement for all ethnic and…

Underachievement in the classroom is a problem which confronts educators and national initiatives such as America 2000. Little field research exists to evaluate the effectiveness of classroom interventions on improving academic performance of the underachiever. A field study was designed and implemented by school psychologists which focused on…

A study investigated the correlation between students' learning styles and their academic achievement on report cards and standardized tests. Subjects were 58 fifth-grade students in a suburban middle school. The "Learning Style Inventory" by Brown and Cooper was administered to this population, and students' academic averages and…