Principals serve as the instructional leader of their schools and teaching staff, a critical role in leading science achievement. In a racially diverse K-8 public school district in New Jersey, elementary principals are challenged to provide instructional support to teachers who are struggling to teach science to elementary students performing…

The following is a dissertation looking to address the impact of STEM-focused education on fifth-grade standardized test scores in mathematics and science. STEM education has become such an integral part of American education in recent years, and its importance continues to extend beyond the research available. The purpose of this quantitative…

This dissertation investigates the impact of attending a STEM-designated elementary school on students' math, ELA (English Language Arts), and science achievement and growth scores. As technology continues to advance in education, educators are exploring innovative instructional methods. With a concerning decline in math proficiency nationwide,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and its implications of being a curricular and pedagogical intervention in terms of narrowing the achievement gap in science education for Children of Color. In using the explanatory mixed methods design, standardized test data and one-on-one interviews were…

There is a significant concern about students' achievement in reading comprehension. The study examined the reliability, validity, and slope of curriculum based measures in a content specific area -- science. Participants included students in 6th grade science classes. The curriculum based measures (CBM) being used consisted of vocabulary-matching…

This study examined the effects of extracurricular absences on final grades and State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End-of-Course (EOC) scores. A multiple regression test was run to determine whether there was a significant relationship between the grades of students with extracurricular absences and their STAAR EOC scores.…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the relationship between science writing and student science achievement and how teachers implement the writing strategy claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) in their science classrooms. Writing is a critical tool for scientific literacy and student achievement. We must teach our students to…

The study addressed the gap in fifth-grade science proficiency between English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in two different science programs in a large school district in the Southeast United States. The Inspire program was implemented in 125 schools, while a combination of Inspire and Promoting Science among English Language Learners…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between science curricular treatment and achievement in middle school. A repeated-measures ANOVA applied to standardized test score data from students, n = 3,135, determined relative growth from 5th to 8th grade. Findings show achievement scores from schools offering a choice of advanced…

This research identifies a problem of practice with standardized science test scores declining over the last eight years. The Sea Turtle Elementary School for the Creative Arts (STESCA; pseudonym) schedule allowed 150 minutes per week for science instruction, compared with 450 minutes per week for mathematics instruction. Science instruction has…

Since the mid '70s, school districts have been trying to place students with disabilities in the least restricted environment. As governments strive to create a more inclusive society, an inclusive academic setting for students with disabilities has become a priority. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of academic setting on…

The demand for STEM college graduates is increasing. However, recent studies show there are not enough STEM majors to fulfill this need. This deficiency can be partially attributed to a gender discrepancy in the number of female STEM graduates and to the high rate of attrition of STEM majors. As STEM attrition has been associated with students…

The pressure to have students perform well on standardized tests can serve as a stressor to some teachers in their efforts to autonomously teach their students, particularly those of low socioeconomic status (SES). However, the relationship between teachers' sense of autonomy, teachers' attitudes and behaviors, SES, and student's academic success…

Federal and state legislation focused on closing the achievement gap, have placed emphasis on providing students with teachers who display specific characteristics. While this has been the mandate, many schools still fail to close the achievement gap and research linking specific teacher characteristics with student achievement, validates the…

The No Child Left Behind Act requires all students be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014, and students in subgroups to make Adequate Yearly Progress. One of these groups is students with disabilities, who continue to score well below their general education peers. This quantitative study identified scoring differences between disability…