This study explores the high academic achievement of Excelencia Early College High School (EECHS), located along the Texas-Mexico border. An open-enrollment public school, EECHS serves students who are characteristic of the lower Rio Grande Valley. These include students of low socioeconomic backgrounds, minorities, first-generation, and those…

The lack of self-advocacy for students with disabilities in higher education is a concern (Becker & Palladino, 2016). A recent influx of students with disabilities has prompted higher education institutions to take a closer look at their previous practices in an effort to reach these students. This qualitative research study examines faculty…

This study's purpose was to determine if a teacher home visit program implemented by a Texas-based charter school system resulted in differences in K-12 students' classroom behavior, academic achievement, and parent involvement in school. Study findings indicate positive behavioral, academic, and parent involvement outcomes for students who…

Background: Due to numerous factors, the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolling in public schools in the United States rapidly increased since 2014. For this reason, many educators have found themselves unprepared to serve the various academic, social, and emotional needs of ELLs. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore…

Middle schools often turn to computer-assisted reading intervention programs to improve student reading. The questions guiding this study are (a) in what ways are computer-assisted reading intervention programs utilized, and (b) what are teachers' perceptions about these intervention programs? Nineteen secondary reading teachers were interviewed…

This qualitative study explored the perceptions that instructors and students have of online learning in a Texas-Mexico border community college. Use of the interpretive approach and dialogical exchange through semi-structured interviews conducted with both instructors and students from a rural, border community college revealed multiple and…

This paper is based on an online graduate program for middle school science and mathematics teachers in Texas titled Integration of Science, Mathematics and Reflective Teaching (iSMART). Launching the program for its first cohort in fall 2010, the authors attempted to answer the following two questions in this paper: (a) How do the members of the…

A national survey of 1,289 elementary teachers and focus groups examined effects of state testing programs on instructional practices and implications for gifted students' motivation. Results suggest that testing programs are likely to discourage effective classroom practices and instead lead to teachers engaging in one-size-fits-all practices.…

Over 900 Texas teachers were surveyed on their perceptions of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), which at the time of the survey was Texas's high-stakes achievement test. The sample included elementary, middle, and high schools within each of four test performance levels: exemplary, recommended, acceptable, and low performing.…

The perceptions of the school system held by selected 6th grade Chicano students, their parents, selected school personnel, and the power structure (i.e., superintendent, school board members, councilmen, mayor) were examined. Two Texas school districts of equal characteristics and size, with heavy Chicano enrollments were selected. In one, the…

A study assessed vocational agricultural programs throughout Texas as they were perceived by the female students enrolled in them. During the study, researchers administered questionnaires to a randomly selected sample of 735 female students from 64 schools representing the 10 geographic areas of Texas. The students were asked to respond to…