This study examines the hypothesis that having an older sister causes one to perform relatively better at reading. For the analysis, a cross-subject analysis is conducted to examine a student's relative reading test score (reading test score minus math test score) based on older sibling gender. We found that a student's relative reading test score…

Over the past 23 years, the national average for reading achievement among learners has ranked below grade level (Learned et al., 2019). The research focus was to understand why struggling readers' reading skills improved. Two research questions, two hypotheses, and two null hypotheses were developed for this study. No participants participated in…

Research shows that third-grade reading proficiency is the most significant predictor of future success, including graduation rates, earning potential, crime, and health. Mastery of foundational literacy skills during preschool bolsters students' ability to learn to read before fourth grade when the transition from learning to read to reading to…

Reading comprehension is measured differently between classroom and more formal approaches to assessment. Traditional reading comprehension assessments often prompt students to read a multi-paragraph passage prior to displaying a set of questions that are related to the passage; however, this approach is not utilized during classroom practices.…

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a relatively recent entrant into the U.S. early education landscape, combining features of public pre-K and regular kindergarten. We provide the first estimates of the impact of Michigan's TK program on 3rd grade test scores. Using an augmented regression discontinuity design, we find that TK improves 3rd grade…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Every Child Succeeds Act of 2015 have significantly emphasized student academic outcomes in recent years. As a result, school districts are seeking strategies to increase student achievement and incorporate required standards and goals. Reducing scheduled physical activity time that students in…

Background: In today's fast-paced world, the complexity of family relations is growing. This demands a closer look into the effects of parental marital relationships and parents' involvement on children's literacy outcomes. Objective: The study objective was to examine the connections between parental marital status, parental involvement, and…

This dissertation examines the connection between the English Language Arts Professional Learning Community, data analysis, and research-based instructional strategies to improve students reading levels, as measured by the Pennsylvania Literature Keystone Exam at an Urban High School. It is a mixed-method study. Data were collected from 9th -12th…

Middle school is one of the most important times during which students gain knowledge. However, a large proportion of adolescents have continued to complete middle school without mastering essential knowledge of, and skills in, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Adolescents who miss school in the 30-60 days leading up to high-stakes exams…

Using data from multiple informants has long been considered best practice in education. However, multiple informants often disagree on similar constructs, complicating decision-making. Polynomial regression and response-surface analysis (PRA) is often used to test the congruence effect between multiple informants on an outcome. However, PRA…

This study addressed the issue of low reading proficiency in Kentucky's students with disabilities, potentially exacerbated by post-third-grade curriculum changes. This quasi-experimental ex post facto comparative study aims to determine differences in the grade four reading achievement gap in students with disabilities compared to students…

Many studies have been done on the short-term academic impacts of early-childhood education programs. The purpose of this study was to add to the educational literature on long-term impacts of early-childhood education programs by analyzing the long-term academic impacts that such programs had on students by the end of third grade. The variable of…

Early literacy intervention is critical to students who are struggling to progress in reading. One intervention aimed at supporting students in the first-grade is Reading Recovery (RR). The purpose of this study was to explore the sustainability of gains achieved by first-grade students, on the STAR reading assessment, who exited the Reading…

Within the last 100 years, the number of school districts in America has dropped by as much as 90% (Murdock, 2012), from 117,108 in 1939 to 13,452 in 2019 (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2020). Funding and how to provide educational equity, equality, and justice for all is a critical conversation. According to the North Dakota…

Educational research is ubiquitous; however, agreement on best practices is not. Although parents, teachers, students, and communities have a vested interest in students' success, varying practices of what is taught, how it is taught, and to whom it is taught are still debated. This study expands upon work done by Dr. Scott Wurdinger and Dr. Ron…