The main purpose of this study was to see the effect of a Balanced Literacy program on the students' academic achievement (the 8th Grade NYS ELA exams) between the years of 2005, 2006, and 2007. This study analyzed the effects of Balanced Literacy on student achievement scores at the 8th grade level. In addition, the effect of teacher's training…

In education, new technologies are used to improve the process of teaching and learning. This study examined middle school teachers' perceptions regarding the use of iPads for instruction. The participants, 53 middle school teachers in Western New York, responded to an online survey, asking them questions about how they felt about the 1:1 iPad…

New York State is in the midst of vast education reform. This Education reform has produced an environment in which the traditional roles of school personnel have been restructured and standards of accountability have been increased. Teacher leadership has become a vital force in the success of many organizations. Additionally, the rigorous…

The purpose of this mixed study was to investigate the differences between higher and lower achievement middle school rates pertaining to leadership qualities, opportunity to learn, instructional practices, parental involvement, and professional development. Qualitatively, principals were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol.…

This paper examines the roles that 52 university Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students play in an Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership that connects several middle schools, high schools, institutions of higher learning, businesses, and community institutions. It also examines the support these students…

For years researchers have been investigating the effects of parental involvement in middle school students. In the United States today, schools lack more in parental involvement as children move up in grades. Some research findings have shown that parental involvement is effective when teachers communicate more with parents and have a focused…

This study investigated how student participation in an authentic scientific investigation may shape underrepresented students' views of science and support students in learning science. The research centered on the instructional approach used in a fifth-grade classroom to engage English language learning students from Latino backgrounds in a…

This article reports on a mixed methods evaluation of an indoor garden-based learning curriculum for 5th and 6th graders which incorporated aquaponics and hydroponics technologies. This study provides a better understanding of the extent to which indoor gardening technologies can be used within the formal curriculum as an effective teaching tool.…

This mixed method study explored and analyzed instructional strategies utilized by algebra teachers whose students' coursework culminated in the New York State Regents Examination in Integrated Algebra and for whom 50% of the tested cohort earned mastery level (85 or higher) on the examination. The targeted populations were eighth or ninth grade…

The goal of the study was to investigate how teachers' reflection and asking for feedback--critical aspects of teachers' professional growth--can be explained and stimulated by teachers' self-efficacy, principals' feedback, and servant leadership characteristics. A mixed-method study was conducted with data collected from surveys and interviews…

Bullying has been recognized as a significant social issue and research has shown that bullying behaviors tend to increase during the middle school years. Research trends indicate that current attention given to bullying has been influenced by public outcry against a growing number of tragic school and community-based events involving youth, many…

A community-based, multisite study using mixed methods examined the experiences and perspectives of Latino students and families in a low performing urban school district in New York State. This research project was spearheaded by a Latino Education Task Force which brought together multiple stakeholders in a collaborative effort to counteract…

The study evaluates the relationship between middle school principals' leadership characteristics and academic achievement of African American male students in grades 6, 7, and 8 in a large urban school district. Academic achievement is typically defined as the cognitive knowledge, skills, and abilities that are measured by achievement tests. The…

Systematic research into bullying has a short history of about 40 years. Investigations on school bullying within a multicultural context are especially limited. As schools in the 21st century grow more culturally diverse due to globalization and immigration, there is a need to look into bullying within this changing population. Specifically, the…

Reciprocal teaching, a social constructivist instruction method, was explored in this study on the mathematical word problem solving skills of fifth grade students in two elementary schools within a suburban school district in upstate New York. Eighty-five students in four intact classes participated in this mixed methods study. Using a…