Chronic absenteeism has been a significant issue facing school districts since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when nearly 30% of students were chronically absent from school (Hays, 2024). A substantial challenge that teachers face is trying to deliver high-quality instruction to students when a significant portion of those students are…

This report describes a program for increasing students' intrinsic motivation in an effort to increase academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of secondary level students in a middle to upper-middle class suburban area. The students of the targeted secondary level classes appeared to be disengaged from learning due to a lack of…

As students lose traditional family structure, some studies indicate that their academic behavior may be affected. The purpose of this study is to measure the difference in achievement of high school students from single-parent homes compared to those from intact homes. The study is limited to Snook Independent School District (Texas),…

A literature review focused on the effectiveness of ability grouping in kindergarten through the sixth grade. A total of 28 annotations were organized in terms of: (1) types of grouping; (2) effects of ability grouping on behavior, self-concept, and friendship; and (3) academic achievement. Several studies found that students assigned to high…

The behavior of students in an 8th grade class was interfering with interpersonal relationships, disrupting the classroom environment, and adversely affecting student academic performance. A lack of social skills was identified as the probable cause which was brought on by the family environment, a lack of parent participation, and economic…

This report describes a program that was designed to identify and modify disruptive student behavior and improve academic performance. The targeted fifth grade class had been noted for inappropriate behavior and sporadic academic success, with problems documented by teacher observation surveys and self-reporting by students. Probable causes…

In Nebraska, where nearly 70% of elementary school districts are rural, there is much debate about whether students from small rural schools have educational opportunities equal to those of students from town or city schools. This paper compares the performance, participation, and behavior of high school juniors who attended elementary schools in…

The effect on college graduation of selecting a college major before college admission was investigated, the hypothesis being that students who enter college undecided about their major study field are as likely to graduate as those who have already decided upon their major. It was assumed there would be no significant difference in the frequency…

This report describes a program for the exploration of block scheduling. The targeted population consists of high school students in a growing, middle-class community, located in a suburban setting of a large mid-western city. The historical background of block scheduling is documented through data gathered using attendance reports, student…

Students attending high school in a large midwestern metropolitan area participated in a program designed to increase their motivation in a geometry class. Evidence of the problem included teachers' observations of off-task student behavior. Also, teachers reported that homework was not being completed as often as desired, and that students who…

This report describes a program for improving the on-task behavior of at-risk students to increase their academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of high-school students in a growing middle-class community located in a rural area of a midwestern state. The problems of academic under-achievement were documented through data including…

The purpose of this study was to test an experimental plan for improving attendance and achievement in an urban high school in order to determine its effects on the students. The plan for improving achievement and attendance was designed specifically to work effectively with the problems of inadequate student accountability, poor motivation within…

The students targeted were third and fourth grade students with learning-disabilities and seventh-eighth grade science students who exhibited poor test scores, motivation, and behaviors that negatively impacted their learning. The objective of this study was to change the level of student engagement in order to increase their academic achievement…

An action research project was conducted to find ways of increasing the productive use of time in middle school applied technology laboratories. The population targeted for the study consisted of 26 middle school students in a growing middle-class Illinois community. The problem of nonproductive use of class time was documented through test…

This report describes a program for improving academic productivity in an elementary school in Rockford, Illinois. Students were unmotivated, unproductive, and uninvolved in academic life, as measured by teacher observation and student behavior. Examination of teacher records revealed that the learning disabled or behavior disordered resource…