This exploratory sequential mixed methods study aimed to understand teachers' perceptions of the impact of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) on school climate and student engagement, which is an area of study lacking in current literature. The research questions which guided the study were: What are teachers' perceptions of the connection between a…

Teachers' support in implementing the standards for mathematical practice has been an area of study since the implementation of the Common Core state standards initiative. The research problem was a gap in the literature regarding what teachers perceive as the supports needed to implement the Common Core standards for mathematical practice in the…

The problem investigated in this study was the decline in student achievement since the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) by the third- through sixth-grade teachers at the local elementary school. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions at the study location about their knowledge of PBL and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how school districts dealt with the challenges of implementing new science learning standards in their middle schools. Six Long Island school districts of varying size and levels of need, with different curricula models, and distinct building grade-level configurations were purposefully selected as case…

This study is a qualitative case study of middle schools located in a rural public school district in a southern state in the United States that has implemented the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which explored the roles of education leaders in the implementation of NGSS. Participants included teachers, instructional coaches, and…

The K-8 Early Implementers Initiative has found that careful planning is critical. With thin planning, unexpected detours or dead ends are likely. However, with solid planning, districts are more likely to achieve their implementation goals and may discover some express lanes for their implementation journey. This evaluation report documents…

A multiple-case study design explored how middle school-level expert makerspace educators assess the people, resources, and activities in their spaces. Broadly put, the maker movement is a social movement that brings together a community of people (makers) who share an interest in creating (making) projects in collaboration with other makers in a…

Prior research has found the transition to high school to be a critical time for ninth-grade students. This mixed-methodology study investigated the experiences of a school-based team that provided programming and various support to ninth-grade students using the teaming model. The study utilized the following methods: 1) interviews, 2) historical…

This first Early Implementers Initiative evaluation publication discusses one of the major shifts required by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), namely the shift to integrated instruction. The integration of science and English language arts (ELA) is the focus of the first main section, and the integration of the science disciplines…

In 2010, California adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for math and English. The new standards are part of a state effort to prepare students for college and careers in the 21st-century global economy and narrow longstanding achievement gaps. The state's implementation is complete, but because districts decide whether and when they…

In conjunction with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and governors across the nation, the initial drafts of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were introduced in 2009 with the final draft being released in 2010. With a goal of eliminating stagnant academic progress, the Standards were written to outline precisely what…

This study examined the impact of the levels of fidelity of teacher implementation of a research-based middle school mathematics program, implemented systemically across a district, on student achievement benchmarks. By examining the systemic implementation based on the level of fidelity to the written curriculum, this quantitative study sought to…

Science education has experienced a significant transition over the last decade, catalyzed by a re-envisioning of what students should know and be able to do in science. That re-envisioning culminated in the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013. The new standards set off a chain reaction of standards adoption and…

This evaluation report describes a central professional learning strategy that the California NGSS Early Implementers Initiative used to help teachers effectively transition to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Initiative's approach to lesson study, called a Teaching Learning Collaborative (TLC), brings together teams of teachers…

The purpose of this study was to examine data regarding the implementation of critical components of the Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in Minnesota public secondary schools, defined as middle and high schools that service any combination of Grades 6-12. This study's mixed method design utilized secondary data collected from the…