Whole-school reforms have received widespread attention, but a critical limitation of the current literature is the lack of evidence around whether these extensive and costly interventions improve students' long-term outcomes after they leave reform schools. Leveraging Tennessee's statewide turnaround reforms, we use difference-in-differences…

The American School Counselor Association calls for counselors to utilize multitiered systems of support to minimize gaps. Specifically, Tier 2 interventions provide a method to address equity issues and foster growth. Black male students experience the greatest disparities in schools; therefore, school counselors should consider culturally…

Minority and other at-risk students are disproportionately affected by punitive disciplinary practices in schools. These disciplinary actions' long-term and short-term effects include losing instructional time, low academic achievement, dropping out of school, and a chance of becoming part of the school-to-prison pipeline. Implementing restorative…

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unparalleled disruption of student learning, disengaged students from school and peers, increased exposure to trauma, and had a negative impact on students' mental health and well-being. School counselors are the most accessible mental health care professionals in a school, providing support for all students' social…

The purpose of this study was to understand how a school-based personalized learning approach can help improve literacy achievement among middle grades students in a rural area. This study followed two cohorts of schools serving students in grades 6-8 in northeast Tennessee for one year each (2018-19 and 2021-22), to assess student and school…

This study explored the impact of computer-assisted interventions on academic growth in reading comprehension. Participants in this study were middle school students in a West Tennessee charter school system. The investigation aimed to determine if students, both general and exceptional learners, would have a difference in academic growth scores…

Guided by the theory of differentiated instruction, this quantitative study evaluated the effectiveness of Achieve 3000, a technology-enhanced program for differentiating reading instruction. Achieve 3000 was fully implemented with fidelity in a local middle school that has a large percentage of advanced learners. Archived reading scores of 120…

Physical health may be an important variable that influences students' behavioral and academic performance in school settings. Poor health status is hypothesized to negatively influence student performance even in the presence of evidence-based practices. In this study, teachers reported their perceptions of students' health status as well as…

While districts and schools continue to place more emphasis on personalized instruction and tiers of literacy interventions, more students are continuing to reach middle school without the ability to read on grade level. Much of the emphasis on the attainment of literacy skills occurs in the elementary grades. As a result, middle grades' literacy…

While districts and schools continue to place more emphasis on personalized instruction and tiers of literacy interventions, more students are continuing to reach middle school without the ability to read on grade level. Much of the emphasis on the attainment of literacy skills occurs in the elementary grades. As a result, middle grades' literacy…

As interest in proactive and systematic approaches to supporting positive student behavior grows, important questions remain about the ways in which special education staff and their students participate in school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). We report findings from a statewide study of 849 special educators…

Students with disabilities (SWD) lag behind their peers without disabilities at all grade levels in mathematics. This gap is more pronounced in Grade 8, with 65 percent of SWD performing below the basic performance level compared to 21 percent of their peers without disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). Identifying proven…

Using a quantitative ex post facto causal comparative research design, this study analyzed the effects of the Academy of Reading software program on students' reading achievement. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) reading scale scores of students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades from 2013-2014 were utilized in this study. The…

In this paper, the authors discuss a portion of the design research process of developing an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for classroom use. The goal of this ITS is to simultaneously provide automated support for student learning and generate diagnostic information for teachers that can lead directly to actionable recommendations for pedagogy…

The study examined whether offering financial incentives to teachers of fifth- through eighth-grade math students improved their students' achievement on the math section of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. The study took place in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School District during the 2006-07 through 2008-09 school years. It…