This How-To Guide is designed for school staff who want to implement a personalized messaging intervention to improve student attendance. During the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) partnered with 47 rural districts in 16 states across the United States to pilot and test…

Absenteeism in K-12 schools has remained high following the COVID-19 pandemic and districts need low-cost strategies to improve attendance. In 2020-21, the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) piloted a personalized messaging intervention in 8 rural districts in New York and Ohio that led to a roughly 2 percent decrease…

After the pandemic, many students returned to the classroom behind on reading, as shown by data in the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP). Those students are now adolescents and approaching a critical turning point in their education: They are expected to read with greater independence. For students who are still struggling to…

The research reports how a particular school reform initiative--'Project 600'--constituted students in one school region Queensland, Australia. Drawing upon topological understandings of power and recent work on the visualisation of data in education, as well as the insights of key staff involved in the project, we reveal the complex and…

A meta-analysis of single-subject research was conducted examining the effectiveness of computer-assisted interventions (CAI) for teaching a wide range of skills to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within the school-based context. Intervention effects were measured by computing improvement rate difference (IRD), which is a simple…

Implicit in recent Evidence Speaks postings is the need to develop evidence-based interventions for improving student achievement. Comparative analysis of the education research literature versus the educational neuroscience literature suggests that education research, grounded in the behavioral and cognitive sciences, is currently the better…

Communities in Schools is one of the nation's oldest and largest providers of integrated student supports, also known as "wraparound services." Started in New York City in the 1970s, the agency now works with more than 2,300 schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The model is straightforward: Communities in Schools recruits,…

In today's rapidly changing global economy, "21st century skills" means much more than proficiency in basic academic subjects. One of the most important noncognitive competencies for student success is conscientiousness, which encompasses traits such as perseverance, self-regulation, resilience, and responsibility. Researchers have found…

One of the enduring problems in education is the persistence of achievement gaps between White, wealthy, native English-speaking students and their counterparts who are minority, lower-income, or English language learners. This study shows that one intensive technical assistance (TA) intervention--California's District Assistance and Intervention…

The specific purpose of this study was to identify the practices used by leaders of National Blue Ribbon Awarded Schools to successfully turnaround a school or to maintain proficient achievement scores within the school. The school principals answered a four part questionnaire for this study. Part 1 of the questionnaire asked about the extent to…

Mentoring programs enrich children's lives, help meet their need for positive adult contact, and provide one-on-one support and advocacy. Positive mentoring experiences have proved to be an effective tool to help youth overcome the risk factors that can lead to problems such as educational failure, dropping out of school, and involvement in…

This publication reviews empirical research in an effort to: (1) help educators improve their understanding of self-concept development; and (2) identify effective strategies for developing positive student self-concepts. An introduction and a brief section on definitions is followed by a discussion of early (pre-school) self-concept development.…

Open-ended in-depth interviews with five expert occupational therapists uncovered situations in which they felt they had made significant differences in students' ability to learn. Major themes emerged: reframing, untold stories, and ambivalence and paradox. Discrepancies appeared between what they believe they should be doing and what they…

This report provides a brief overview of efforts to establish standards, assess those standards, hold schools and students accountable for meeting the standards, and provide interventions to students who do not meet the standards. It argues that holding students accountable for passing standards' assessments is premature, that teachers should be…

This action research project evaluated a program to improve student motivation. The targeted population consisted of sixth- and eleventh-grade students in grammar/literature, physical education, and social studies classes in suburban Chicago. Three interventions were selected: incorporation of multiple intelligence strategies, implementation of…