The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design study was to measure the effects of both types of manipulatives on student mathematical understanding of 1st and 4th grade, Title I students. This data is needed for teachers to make informed decisions regarding their instructional choices. 270 participants…

This quantitative study was conducted to determine if (a) there was a significant difference in the percentage of student office discipline referrals before and after Social- Emotional Learning (SEL) implementation in 3rd through 5th grade, (b) there was a significant difference in the percentage of student in-house mental health referrals before…

This qualitative study explored teachers' perceptions and experiences regarding the implementation of the social and emotional learning framework, Strong Start, in a Title I elementary school in southeast Texas. The participants include ten elementary school teachers in Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. Teachers' levels of experience range from…

In this article, we introduce the term "vulnerability to achievement stressors," which refers to differentially low achievement when shifts in the educational environment "stress" or threaten the capacity of an individual or a group of individuals to make academic progress. We also introduce a methodological framework for…

In this article, we introduce the term "vulnerability to achievement stressors," which refers to differentially low achievement when shifts in the educational environment "stress" or threaten the capacity of an individual or a group of individuals to make academic progress. We also introduce a methodological framework for…

The Promise Fellow Program is an intervention designed to prevent dropout amongst students in grades 6-12 in Minnesota that show early warning signs of school disengagement. The program is led by interventionists known as Promise Fellows and provides three research-based supports that align with the National Dropout Prevention Center's "Basic…

After the passage of "No Child Left Behind," and especially after Obama-era Race to the Top initiatives, rising accountability for improved achievement and widespread dissatisfaction with the instructional value of statewide test reports led many school districts to purchase computer-adaptive "interim" testing systems. A common…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of IXL Math online software in raising student achievement on the New York State Math exam, with special focus on effects by student gender, ethnicity and disability status. The study includes an analysis of the relationship between scale scores and time spent using the IXL system, number…

Paul Jablon's "The Synergy of Inquiry" (2014) is well-timed. The 2014 deadline set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) for universal student proficiency has come and gone, and according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, "proficiency rates last year were below 50 percent for nearly every racial and ethnic group, in…

The No Child Left Behind Act mandates that all elementary and secondary students achieve 100% proficiency in reading by 2014. Guided by constructivist theories of Dewey and Vygotsky, which hold that individuals learn through experiences and through social interactions with others, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the…