There is currently an epidemic of high school readers who struggle; many are considered below-level readers, according to standardized tests, and they are not choosing to read for pleasure. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate whether a pedagogical framework called CRISP (choice, relevance, interest, success, and peer interactions) would…

The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the implementation of an adaptive web-based learning environment to personalize geometry instruction and practice for high school students at a private school in North Carolina. This study was guided by the following three research questions: How and to what extent does implementing…

This research examines the impact of a 2-day scientific conference on high school students' confidence in attending university and interest in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. Specifically, this study investigates (1) whether exposure to STEM in grades 10 and 11 significantly increases self-reported…

In response to the glaring disparities in the number of African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and females employed in computer science (CS) field, the purpose of this study was to enhance underrepresented minority (URM) students' identification with and motivation for CS through a culturally relevant intervention in a required high…

Purpose: The purpose of this two-year study was to assess the impact of the CORE program, a model that integrates technology and active learning modules in high schools by providing multi-disciplinary teams of teachers and administrators with professional development and resources to support the development of students' non-cognitive skills and…

Individuals with disabilities are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The purpose of this study was to experimentally evaluate the impact of a STEM mentor intervention and differences between students matched with mentors with or without disabilities on career planning outcomes. An independent groups ×…

This study reports on a three-year group randomized controlled trial, the Cyber Friendly Schools Project (CFSP), aimed to reduce cyberbullying among grade 8 students during 2010-2012. In each year, 14-15 year old student "cyber" leaders acted as catalysts to develop and implement whole-school activities to reduce cyberbullying-related…

Background/Context: Billions of dollars are spent annually on professional development (PD) for educators, yet few randomized controlled trials (RCT) have demonstrated the ultimate impact PD has on student learning. Further, while policymakers and others speak to the role schools should play in developing students' civic awareness, RCTs of PD…

This study evaluates the Youth Development Program (YDP), a component of the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). We examine whether the YDP reduced dropout rates among youth in secondary schools in seven school districts in the impoverished Mississippi River Delta in southeast Arkansas. Initially, the program seems to have an impact. Students…

Dramatic changes occur in abstract reasoning, physical maturation, familial relationships and risk exposure during adolescence. It is probable that delivery of behavioral interventions addressing decision-making during the preadolescent period and later in adolescence would result in different impacts. We evaluated the intervention effects of an…

This research study examined the impact of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program on students' self-efficacy and academic achievement outcome measures at the middle and high school level. AVID is a college readiness system designed to prepare at-risk students in the fourth through 12th grade for college. The main focus of this…

Introduction: This study examined (a) students' experienced emotions in classes of Mathematics and Language, (b) the role of students' emotions in perceiving their school performance in the same school subjects as successful or unsuccessful, and (c) the effects of students' self-beliefs (performance expectations, value beliefs, ability…

English language learners (ELLs) often find themselves marginalized with respect to learning mathematics in U.S. schools due, in part, to language barriers and gaps in prerequisite math knowledge and skills. The goal of this study was to use Sen's (1980, 1992, 1999) capabilities approach model as a lens through which to analyze the relationship…

Students have difficulty learning fractions, and problems in understanding fractions persist into adulthood, with moderate to severe consequences for everyday and occupational decision-making. Remediation of student misconceptions is hampered by deficiencies in teachers' knowledge of the discipline and pedagogical content knowledge. We theorized…

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a revised state-of-the-art drug prevention program, Project ALERT, on risk factors for drug use in mostly rural midwestern schools and communities. Fifty-five middle schools from South Dakota were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treatment-group students received 11…