This improvement project was designed to ensure students enrolled in elementary schools with a high poverty index received literacy instructional strategies that promoted literacy achievement. When analyzing Graham County School data, I noticed third-grade students attending high poverty elementary schools were not achieving literacy success at…

Mandatory grade retention for poor-performing readers has been a disputed practice for decades. Since the early-2000s, state-level mandatory grade retention policies have proliferated. In 18 states and Washington, D.C. mandatory grade retention exists for students in the third-grade who fail an end-of-year standardized reading exam. These policies…

The problem addressed in this study is that the low reading proficiency levels of marginalized elementary students significantly affect their future academic achievement and life outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to investigate the differences in the reading proficiency levels of marginalized Grade 3-5 students in a…

The academic success of dual language learners (DLLs) has been studied extensively, but few studies have investigated the effectiveness of the Scott Foresman Reading Street (SFRS) program on DLL struggling readers. The purpose of this quantitative study, grounded in the linguistic interdependence theory, was to compare the Measure of Academic…

We examined the effects of a morphological awareness (MA) training program on the enhancement of word and pseudo-word reading and phonological awareness in Arabic-speaking children with dyslexia. We compared two groups of children with dyslexia from Grade 3, an experimental group (n = 12; mean age = 112.4 months) with a control group (n = 13; mean…

This research assessed the impact of combining small-group cognitive reading intervention with a motivational program targeting students' goals, emotions, and self-efficacy beliefs on the reading performance and motivation of third-grade students at risk for reading difficulties (n = 25, M[subscript age] = 8.99, SD = 0.38). Using a…

Although the promise of universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs enhancing student academic outcomes has captured public attention, there has been limited research regarding such programs' impact on students' state test scores. We used multilevel modeling of follow-up data from a multiyear, multisite cluster-randomized efficacy trial to…

Although the promise of universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs enhancing student academic outcomes has captured public attention, there has been limited research regarding such programs' impact on students' state test scores. We used multilevel modeling of follow-up data from a multiyear, multisite cluster-randomized efficacy trial to…

The Early Literacy Program focuses on the development of early literacy skills in all students, with additional emphasis placed on intervention for "at-risk" students. Resources available to aid these students include interventions and supports for students in grades kindergarten through third grade, standards and assessments for testing…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects of one school district's summer reading program on the summer slide on DIBELS Next Composite Scores for students entering first, second, and third grade. The researcher examined the DIBELS Next Composite Score Data of students who were invited and attended and students who were…

We published our first set of Connections Academy efficacy reports containing independently assured efficacy statements in 2018. We went on to build on that body of research, and updated our reporting with new findings in 2021. Our latest study compared Connections Academy students' state test scores in reading and math with students in…

The objective of this single case design study was to examine the effectiveness of teaching comprehension monitoring strategy on strategy use as well as on reading comprehension performance. Four children with bilateral severe-profound hearing loss between the ages of 10-11 years and enrolled in the 3rd-5th grade classroom in a regional day school…

The purpose of this action research study is to identify, implement, and evaluate best practices in reading improvement in third grade at Greenleaf Upper Elementary (pseudonym) in support of a process of continuous improvement. The study followed a mixed methods design. The student participants in this study were 47 third grade students who…

We conducted a 14-week experimental study of 2 versions of a relatively comprehensive RC intervention that involved 50 classroom teachers, 15 tutors, and 116 children drawn in equal proportions from grades 3 and 5 in 13 schools in a large urban school district. Students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the two tutoring conditions and a…

We conducted a 14-week experimental study of 2 versions of a relatively comprehensive RC intervention that involved 50 classroom teachers, 15 tutors, and 120 children drawn in equal proportions from grades 3 and 5 in 13 schools in a large urban school district. Students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the 2 tutoring conditions and a…