With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as No Child Left Behind, Every Student Succeeds Act, and other school reforms, rigorous demands are placed upon administrators and educators when students do not make Adequate Yearly Progress. In trying to follow state goals to enhance students' academic…

This study sought to determine the implications of using lesson study as a professional development model to support graphical literacy in second grade students. This mixed methods embedded study gathered information from 3- second grade teachers and 50- second grade students in a rural public school in Central Alabama. The study collected data…

This study examined the implementation of Hybrid Grouping at Angel Elementary School. The Hybrid Grouping model consisted of three elements, achievement grouping, departmentalization and self-contained classes. The data collected allowed participants (n = 20) to share their perceptions of the leadership of the school and its relationship to the…

This study examined the relationships between enabling structures, academic optimism, and student achievement to determine whether academic optimism served as a mediator between the two. Student achievement was measured using both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests. Findings indicated a relationship between academic optimism, enabling…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between academic optimism (AO) and elementary reading achievement (RA). Design/methodology/approach: Using correlation and hierarchical linear regression, the authors examined school-level effects of AO on fifth grade reading achievement in 29 elementary schools in Alabama.…

Teachers' perception of self-efficacy may have a significant impact on their ability to accept the challenges inherent in including children with autism in their classrooms. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to identify perceived challenges and needs of 31 graduate students in a university course of which 14 of the 23 students were…

In an effort to meet the needs of low-income students, a collaborative effort between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Hoover City School system was initiated. The university and school system have collaborated for the past four years to change the nature of summer programs, both for students and teachers. This article describes…

This handbook describes extended-day programs in Alabama schools as an alternative for after-school care. The handbook defines extended-day programs and discusses their rationale and benefits. It further discusses: (1) staffing, including employee procedures and job description; (2) enrollment, including registration procedures, and parent and…

This research investigates the beliefs and self-reported practices of teachers in an elementary school in the Southeastern United States, where the English Language Learner (ELL) population has grown significantly over the past ten years. The findings describe and clarify mainstream teachers' beliefs regarding the academic preparation of ELLs, as…

A one-year study evaluated the Human Development Program, or "Magic Circle," a project (conducted in the Tuscaloosa County (Alabama) School District) designed to explore student concerns and ideas in the areas of awareness, mastery, and social interaction and consisting of daily twenty-minute classroom meetings of teacher and pupils in a…