One of the most powerful but neglected supports for children's learning and development is family involvement both in and out of school. Over 40 years of steadily accumulating evidence show that family involvement is one of the strongest predictors of children's school success, and that families play pivotal roles in their children's cognitive,…

As schools struggle to meet federal achievement standards, after-school programs are increasingly viewed as a potential source of academic support for youth at risk of school failure. The hope among youth advocates and policymakers is that after-school programs can partially compensate for the inequities that plague the nation's schools and play a…

The research for this study describes the organizational characteristics and the personnel behaviors distinctive to high-achieving rural school districts. A comparison between two rural school districts, one high-achieving and the other low-achieving was completed using a survey instrument. The Baldrige National Quality Program instrument was…

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic achievement gap between upper elementary African American and White students. This study sought to assess any relationships between whether academic reading, students attitudes toward reading, and academic intrinsic motivation related to ethnicity. This study also sought to assess whether…

Over the last decade, policy and business leaders have come to know what parents have always known: teachers are the largest school-based factor in student achievement. Yet not all schools have equal access to the most effective teachers. High-needs schools that serve large proportions of economically disadvantaged and minority students are more…

Children and youth who reside in economically disadvantaged households and in low-resource, urban neighborhoods are more likely to lose ground in math and reading over the summer than their higher-income peers. Although summer learning programs are a promising strategy for narrowing this achievement gap, surveys indicate that only 25 to 36 percent…

The purpose of this study was to find out how and to what extent alternatively certified teachers, who are considered highly qualified, impact the achievement gap that exists between Black and White students that is measured by the End Of Course Test (EOCT). Two public school districts, one rural and one suburban, were selected from 150 school…

The use of data is a powerful tool to strengthen academic outcomes for all students--especially underserved students. Using data tells everyone whether certain groups of students have been disproportionately tracked into lower level classes or special education and whether or not they are proportionately represented in college-prep classes, honors…

New Jersey children are in some important ways better off than five years ago. More 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in high-quality, publicly funded preschool, for example. On some other measures, children are worse off. The proportion with no health insurance has risen, despite increased enrollment in government-subsidized insurance programs. But…

This issue of "Learning Times" discusses closing the achievement gap for low-income kids. Too many low-income children in Minnesota lag behind grade level in reading and math. LDA's (Learning Disabilities Association's) Learning Connections program serves these students who have fallen behind, but who do not receive special education…

Since the 1996/97 school year, the state of North Carolina has awarded bonuses of up to $1,500 to teachers in schools that exhibit test score gains above certain thresholds. This article reviews the details of the bonus program, describes patterns of differences between schools that qualify for bonuses of differing amounts, and presents basic data…

The 2007-08 Annual Report presents and analyzes the performance of students in Nebraska Reading First schools during the 2007-08 school year. Teacher log information is also presented, and a district performance comparison is made from the year just previous to Reading First implementation across the four years of implementation. [This report was…

Despite nearly two decades of commissions, analyses, op-eds and speeches, a series of court rulings, legislative changes, and the expenditure of billions of dollars, Ohio still does not have a school funding system that delivers the results the Buckeye State needs. Student achievement still remains low for the globalizing world that young Ohioans…

Effective schools should be superior in both enhancing students' achievement levels and reducing the gap between high- and low-achieving students in the school. However, the focus has been placed mainly on schools' achievement levels in most school effect studies. In this article, we focused our attention upon the school-specific achievement…

Int his essay, the authors identify and problematize the claims and activities of four think tanks supported by contributions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Kovacs and Christie attempt to show that these contributions support scholars and research of dubious quality, engage in political science abuse, and perpetuate discourses and…