Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs abound in schools worldwide, adopted in large part on limited and varied evidence that the social/SEL skills acquired in these programs contribute to academic achievement. However, large-scale studies with the most common SEL program in the United States (Second Step®) have yielded no evidence of academic…

This study investigated the effects of the Leader in Me (LiM), a social-emotional learning program implemented in thousands of schools. A mixed-method design included (1) a collective case study in four diverse, high-implementing elementary schools and (2) a post hoc quasi-experiment using propensity score 1:3 matching of 117 LiM and 348 non-LiM…

The present study investigated the effectiveness of an equity-based inclusive school reform model nested within a multitiered system of support (MTSS) framework on the improvement of math and reading performance of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Descriptive statistics revealed that math state assessment scores of students…

Children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) earn lower grades, perform worse on achievement tests, and attain less education on average than their peers from higher-SES families. We evaluated neurocognitive mediators of SES disparities in achievement in a diverse sample of youth whose data were linked to administrative records of…

The purpose of this study was to examine which of the components of executive functions (EF)--inhibition, shifting, and working memory--predict reading and mathematics achievement and if the effects of these components are the same across two cultures (Western and East Asian). One hundred twenty English-speaking Canadian (65 females, 55 males;…

Virtual charter schools provide full-time, tuition-free K-12 education through internet-based instruction. Although virtual schools offer a personalized learning experience, most research suggests these schools are negatively associated with achievement. Few studies account for differential rates of student mobility, which may produce biased…

The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page sheets on a variety of subjects. This fact sheet focuses on: (1) Native-born and Foreign-born Black/African American Youth Aged 5-17 Who Speak a Language Other than English at Home: Year 2016; (2) Total Percentages of Public School…

While states have developed policies around a cut-off date for kindergarten entrance, some parents chose to have their child enter kindergarten before this date (Early Entrance) as an acceleration technique, or hold the child back from entering, a practice termed Redshirting, to allow for greater maturity and increased achievement in relation to…

In the absence of high quality and impact interventions, undesirable consequences of poverty will be seen to fruition. In this study, the Golden Circle business model (Sinek et al., 2017) served as the framework to understand how students' grit, engagement, and achievement are related in Title I elementary schools. The purpose of this study was to…

Using a quantitative approach that draws on qualitative methods, this study aimed to identify what, if any, elements within an elementary teacher preparation program have a relationship between elementary student achievement gains in reading and math as well as a teacher's attrition. This study identified elements of teacher training programs…

This study was designed to investigate whether or not special education co-teacher's growth mindset affects student achievement in a mid-size suburban school district in North Texas. The participants completed a growth mindset survey and were assigned a growth mindset range based upon the Mindset Works, Inc. "What's your mindset?"…

Teachers' judgments of student achievement are a crucial aspect of instruction and intervention. Previous research examining teachers' judgments has primarily focused on oral reading fluency and results are mixed with respect to how accurate teachers are. The purpose of the current study was to examine the accuracy of kindergarten and first-grade…

This report highlights the results of Austin Independent School District's 4th- and 8th-grade students on the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card.

The purpose of this longitudinal quantitative study was to determine the academic impact of the Leader in Me process on a public elementary school in Delaware as it relates to growth in reading and mathematics using the Measures of Academic Progress. This longitudinal case study focused on determining if a significant statistical difference…

Over the long summer break, students forget some of what they learned during the school year. This "summer learning loss" is especially large for low-income students. One policy aimed at decreasing summer learning loss is year-round education (YRE): re-distributing the usual number of school days so that students have more short breaks…