Background/Objectives: In a sociopolitical landscape characterized by growing student behavioral needs and stagnating or shrinking resources, school systems must become more efficient and promote shared ownership to support students. Teachers are critical stakeholders as we expand school mental health systems, yet they receive little training in…

This paper shares the findings of a non-experimental quantitative case study done in a rural central Illinois K-8 school district. The study focused on the delivery of student social and emotional learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and how educators were able to still design equitable learning opportunities for students through their social and…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) requires all states to establish procedures to ensure that, "to the maximum extent appropriate," students with disabilities are educated with students who are non-disabled in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) possible. Developing a full continuum of services for…

The purpose of this study was to determine the implementation level of best practice strategies for middle level education in the state of Texas described by This We Believe (AMLE, 2010) and to determine the relationship of those practices with the schools' academic achievement in math and reading. A survey was distributed to principals of all…

Foster children often struggle socially, emotionally, and academically in the school setting leading to school failure. By establishing a positive classroom environment, teachers can provide for the needs of the foster child while encouraging academic achievement. This study seeks to determine teacher best practices for meeting the needs of foster…

Internationally, conceptual and procedural understanding, understanding the Nature of Science, and scientific literacy are considered worthy goals of school science education in modern times. The empirical study presented here reports on promising teacher practices that in the students' views afford learning opportunities and support their science…

Online education in K-12 settings has increased considerably in recent years, but there is little research supporting its use at this level. Online courses help students learn at their own pace, select different locations to do their work, and choose flexible times to complete assignments. However, some students learn best in a face-to-face…

In this webinar, Dr. Sarah Catherine K. Moore, Program Director at the Center for Applied Linguistics, outlined factors for content area teachers to consider as they design and deliver lessons for mainstream classrooms that include English learner (EL) students. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Moore following the…

Instructional leadership is the most important responsibility for principals and the most vulnerable students in need of productive instructional leadership are students of color with specific learning disabilities. Instructional leaders are challenged with creating supportive learning environments and school cultures that promotes the education…

We investigated the extent to which a seven-week action research mentoring project would help two junior high school science teachers to feel more confident and successful in their abilities to use accommodation strategies to support the English language learners (ELLs) in their classes, and consequently to increase their ability to assess more…

There is broad consensus in the literature that despite dramatic gains in the knowledge-base regarding best practice in teaching, teacher education, and related pockets of effective programming in the schools, the majority of physical education programs are in disarray. In a recent article, Kretchmar (2006) referred to this dilemma as life on…

This qualitative case study examined the inclusion program of students receiving special education services in a general education mathematics classroom at an exemplary middle school in the southern region of Texas. This study sought to identify the best practices of a highly effective middle school mathematics inclusion program. This study…

QTEL is a professional development program for teachers. It is designed to improve instruction for English language learner students and close academic gaps. This report highlights AISD teachers' reflections on the program after year 3.

On March 13, 2009, Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska, an eminent leader in gifted education, was presented with a Festschrift, a volume of articles submitted by colleagues as well as former and current graduate students to celebrate her life's work and influence on the field. This volume is a free supplement from The College of William and Mary's Center…

This study, conducted in 2005-06, identified teacher-initiated instructional strategies currently preferred by practitioners who daily work with English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. The findings generated in this study could potentially confirm strategies identified in the authors' earlier work (Thurlow et al., 2004) through the…