Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has recently said, "Improving school attainment is arguably the single most important objective in this programme for Government" (Parliamentary address, 1 September 2015). Scotland's levels of academic attainment have become an increasing focus for debate amid continuing concerns that children…

Living in poverty disadvantages young children reducing school readiness. "Pedagogy of listening" can potentially support resilience remediating against poverty's negative effects. Little, though, is known about how early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners work with children in poverty and the attainment gap between such…

This important book explores how education time can be expanded, reimagined, and reorganized in an effort to enhance the educational opportunities and outcomes of disadvantaged students. The editors and contributors address questions of educational equity and opportunity by considering how best to extend learning time in high-poverty schools.…

This research study was designed and conducted to evaluate the regular education teacher's perspective on the effective use of Project Read to adequately instruct spelling mastery at the first grade level. The Project Read curriculum is divided into three major strands including phonics, reading comprehension, and written expression. Project…

The underrepresentation of women and racial and ethnic minorities in computer science (CS) and other fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is a serious impediment to technological innovation as well as an affront to fundamental notions of fairness and equity. These gaps emerge in the early grades and tend to persist, if not…

Educational equity is a major component to solving the achievement gap in public education. Prior research on educational equity has largely centered on the development of multicultural education and critical race theoretical approaches, with some studies considering how these theories are best incorporated into teacher preparation programs.…

One of the critical issues facing middle level educators is making sure we have the types of support in place for providing equitable learning environments for all students and helping them to feel that they belong in school. Literature suggests that a gender gap exists within middle level education today with respect to achievement scores and the…

Low levels of hope documented within Burgess County, a pseudonym, and the perennial achievement gap causes many to use the word "despair" to describe the outlook of African American student achievement and the dispositions school leaders, and students at predominately African American schools (Jacobs, 2005; West, 1999). According to…

This qualitative case study explored the factors contributing to student underperformance as measured by standardized assessments in a predominantly Latino, low-income public elementary school in the southeastern United States. Findings from teacher interviews and observations with five voluntary teacher participants revealed that despite…

Racial segregation has been an ongoing issue in American education and one of the leading contributors to the racial achievement gap. Prior to the Brown v. Board decision of 1954, Black Americans were legally relegated to substandard schools and educational opportunities. Post-Brown, racial segregation continues to manifest as a result of "de…

The ability of school leaders to recognize and confront marginalizing narratives that prevent equitable access and outcomes for their historically underserved student populations is critical to transforming their schools. This article is designed to build the leadership capacity of suburban school leaders to intervene in inequitable practices by…

Early colleges are a new model of schooling in which the high school and college experiences are merged, shortening the total amount of time a student spends in school. This study uses a lottery-based experimental design to examine the impact of the model on longer term outcomes, including attainment of a postsecondary credential and academic…

With the new school year now well under way, staff, students and families are still in desperate need of a clear strategic direction and set of tools for promoting equity and excellence in a moment of crisis. Nationally, we see school systems stepping up in new ways to provide this clarity, and seizing the moment afforded by these unusual…

Talent Hubs are communities that have shown the ability and commitment to significantly increase college-level learning among residents of all backgrounds. Areas that have earned a designation as a Talent Hub truly work as a community, meaning businesses, education leaders, and civic organizations work as a unit to attract, cultivate, and retain…

Early colleges are an innovative model of schooling that combines high school and college. A 14-year, rigorous experimental study has been examining whether this model works. The study compares early college students who were accepted through a lottery to students who applied to early colleges but were not accepted through the lottery (the control…