While the idea of teacher performance-pay is increasingly making its way into policy, the evidence on the effectiveness of such programs is both limited and mixed. The central questions in the literature on teacher performance pay to date have been whether teacher performance pay based on test scores can improve student achievement, and whether…

This research brief highlights two schools' efforts to improve the achievement of their students using the SIOP Model. These schools, one elementary and one secondary, have seen significant improvement in the performance of their English learners through the use of the SIOP Model of instruction, an approach that addresses both academic language…

The "Made in Durham" report sets out a vision that every young person in Durham should have the opportunity to achieve a postsecondary credential and begin a rewarding career by the age of 25. Its central premise is that all Durham's youth and young adults are entitled to a first-rate education and training system that prepares them for…

The purpose of this research is to identify factors that influence the functioning of a school working as a Professional Learning Community (PLC) and to analyze the links between these factors and the school's progression. This research was developed within the context of an interpretative research paradigm. The primary data collection tool…

This mixed method study examined teachers' ratings of 37 field-tested social studies lesson plans that incorporated digital primary sources through a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program for K-12 teachers. Each lesson, available in an online teaching materials collection, was field-tested and reviewed by at…

Although career and technical education (CTE) Programs of Study (POS) were introduced in the Perkins IV legislation, neither the spirit nor the elements of POS are new in the history of CTE as a vehicle for high school reform. POS have evolved over several decades of efforts to create effective transition programs from secondary to postsecondary…

New "autonomy initiatives" aim to increase schools' decision-making authority as a strategy to leverage school improvement. These policies build on lessons of previous reforms such as site-based management in ways that bode well for their success. However, how are these policies actually faring in implementation? The authors addressed that…

Interest in the educational use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in higher education is increasing. For successful implementation, it is important to know students' attitudes and reservations and how they can be positively influenced. The objective of the present study was to examine possible attitudinal changes towards…

Previous research studies have indicated that some educators do not advocate Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) because of their misunderstanding of the methodology. This article explores the relationship between college-level second language (L2) educators' perceptions and their implementations of CLT. The results of this study show that the…

School-based character education and violence prevention programs focus on improving prosocial competencies and reducing negative behaviors in students. The Capturing Kids' Hearts Campus by Design model is a school-level intervention that impacts student behavior by enhancing school climate through improved relational and conflict management…

This document summarizes the findings from the initial round of research on the development and piloting of two types of instructional tools designed to support teachers' integration of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in literacy and math. In this interim report, Research for Action (RFA) presents key findings from the first half of the…

The aim of this preliminary study was to describe parent views about implementing effective home programs to inform practice recommendations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents of children with cerebral palsy (2 fathers and 8 mothers) who had participated in a home program by using a partnership-based approach. Transcripts…

This article summarizes the initial, collaborative implementation efforts of a school-based conflict resolution program. Lowell elementary School is predominately Hispanic and located in one of the poorest areas of Fresno. The University's Kremen School of Education and Human Development partners with local educators to train children in grades…

The article presents results of the evaluation of the GLOBE program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) in the Czech Republic. The evaluation explores the implementation of the program in schools and its impact on research skills. Four hundred and sixty six pupils, aged 13, from 28 different schools participated in the…

Given the importance of diagnostic assessment as a well-substantiated pedagogical strategy for use at various educational levels from kindergarten to the undergraduate level, we must consider its lack of implementation in the classroom. The implementation gap is especially severe at the tertiary level, with chemistry and other STEM (science,…