Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are rigorous, high level standards that require students to understand and apply complex concepts while utilizing academic vocabulary. For English Language Learners (ELLs), the demands of the standards and assessments with CCSS present new difficulties in learning while also acquiring English. For educators of…

This study examined factors contributing to achievement gaps between White and African American students in 2,868 diverse school districts across the United States. Using pooled data across five school years (2008-2013), six grade levels (grades third to eighth, which typically include students aged 8 years-14 years) and two different subjects…

Even though many of Alaska's students are getting a good education, historically Alaska has some of the largest achievement gaps in the country. Compared to other states in America, Alaska ranks at or near the bottom in reading and math scores. This document is a call to action. Thousands of Alaskans have stepped up to answer this call and have…

Evaluators report effects of education initiatives as standardized effect sizes, a scale that has merits but obscures interpretation of the effects' practical importance. Consequently, educators and policymakers seek more readily interpretable translations of evaluation results. One popular metric is the number of years of learning necessary to…

The writing achievement of English learners (ELs) is often lower than that of other subgroups (Fry, 2007, 2008). To address this gap, a partnership was formed between university faculty and doctoral students and educators at an urban PK-8 school with a majority EL population. Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as a guide, the team…

This article reports on the results of a literature review addressing the research questions: What strategies for writing instruction have proven to be effective in promoting writing development in preschool-primary aged children? What research on writing instruction has been conducted within Canada on preschool-primary aged children? An…

The achievement gap between White and African American students on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) is an educational phenomenon that has been around for generations and yet to be fully understood or eliminated. This study investigated the difference in school climate perceptions between African American and Caucasian (sic) elementary school…

This was a quasi-experimental comparison study conducted in a rural suburban school district in Texas. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether elementary students with dyslexic tendencies, who received the Tier III, Orton-Gillingham- (O-G) based Take Flight reading intervention being piloted on two campuses, showed statistically…

Current reading assessment results continue to be a concern nationally and in Tennessee. NAEP assessments indicate that less than half of all 4 th graders tested are below proficiency. More specifically, the Tennessee NAEP indicated that 4th graders are scoring below proficiency in reading. A plethora of research indicated that reading proficiency…

How are California's students doing? And are all groups of students receiving the same opportunities for educational success? How do patterns of educational outcomes in California compare to those in other states, and how have they changed in the last decade? In this study, the authors seek to provide a portrait of the state of educational…

Conversations around the achievement gap are often centered on what parents and students can do to close it. Overall school leaders have not made the achievement of Black students a priority, but it continues to be a priority for Black parents. Despite the vast research on parental involvement, little is known about the specific contributions of…

There is an established body of evidence indicating that a pupil's relative age within their school year cohort is associated with academic attainment throughout compulsory education. In England, autumn-born pupils consistently attain at higher levels than summer-born pupils. Analysis here investigates a possible channel of this relative age…

Numerous studies have identified differences between males and females in academic performance across the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. The current study examined whether or not gender differences exist when math curriculum-based measures (M-CBMs) are used to assess basic math computation skills in a sample of third- through…

Teacher performance pay programs are theorized to improve student achievement by incentivizing teachers, but opponents counter that teachers are not motivated by money. We used regression discontinuity techniques and data on a census of the students, teachers, and schools in a large urban minority-majority school district to show receipt of a…

This report presents data on equity in AISD, using an index of student performance, an index of the instructional services provided to students, and school per pupil expenditures.