This qualitative descriptive study aims to explore how secondary teachers describe how the course influenced their teacher efficacy and how their teacher efficacy influenced student performance. There is a problem space in the literature on the effectiveness of technology-supported learning in transforming teachers' behaviors and practices. A…

This study was designed to investigate whether teacher literacy content knowledge affects student achievement in Texas schools. Teacher participants from Texas public schools completed a three-part survey. In Parts 1 and 2, teachers completed a demographic section and teacher knowledge of foundational reading skills. The survey consisted of…

Schools often track students to classes based on ability. Proponents of tracking argue it is a low-cost tool to improve learning since instruction is more effective when students are more homogeneous, while opponents argue it exacerbates initial differences in opportunities without strong evidence of efficacy. In fact, little is known about the…

Background: Over the past two decades, national attention has emphasized the critical role of early literacy and language instruction in preventing reading difficulties and improved our understanding of how young children learn to read. The research has established that students who are not strong readers by Grade 3 are less likely to build…

Choosing a career can be a daunting task and oftentimes may cause challenges for first-year college students when they enter higher education. Understanding that career indecision is normal within this population, it is essential to learn more about how potential related constructs may be significant to supporting one's career decision-making…

While many in the field of teaching grapple with the revisions that come with a growing decentralization of standards-based reform, teacher learning and understanding of college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards and revisions is critical to successful implementation. Even when fully supported and focused on implementing standards in the…

Faced with many applicants with very low math skills, community colleges are responding with a variety of reforms, including restricting developmental courses to students with high-school-level skills. This brief provides context for the policy changes and describes the alternatives two colleges offer to those who don't make the cut. [This brief…

Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) face a multifaceted set of challenges in determining how to maintain their effectiveness in building student competencies and encouraging their academic success. To understand the importance of noncognitive skills on fostering such success, this study reports on efforts at three HSIs to make meaningful use of…

The current study examined the heterogeneity in the development of school-based prosocial behavior from Grades 1 to 12 and the role of multiple early childhood antecedents in predicting heterogeneous developmental trajectories of prosocial behavior in a sample of 784 children facing early risks and vulnerabilities (predominantly from low-income…

Roughly seven years have passed since the majority of states adopted college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards. Some states adopted the Common Core State Standards while others adopted their own versions of CCR standards. Because teachers are the primary implementers of CCR standards, we wanted to understand the challenges they face in using…

Historical student data can help elucidate the factors that promote student success in mathematics courses. Herein we use both multiple regression and principal component analyses to explore ten years of historical data from over 20,000 students in an introductory college-level Algebra course in an urban American research university with a diverse…

Few topics have garnered more attention in preservice teacher training and educational reform than student diversity and its influence on learning. However, the actual degree of cognitive diversity has yet to be considered regarding instructional implications for advanced learners. We used four data sets (three state-level and one national) from…

There are currently 2 principal models of publicly funded prekindergarten programs (pre-K): targeted pre-K, which is means-tested, and universal pre-K. These programs often differ in terms of the economic characteristics of the preschoolers enrolled. Studies have documented links between individual achievement in school-age children and the…

This qualitative, phenomenological study is focused on 13 identified LTELLs currently enrolled in a community college classroom near the Texas-Mexico border. Both male and female students were identified and invited for participation based on an initial questionnaire Through an emic, qualitative lens, this research explores the beliefs that LTELLs…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of integrating Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) technology on middle school mathematics achievement in an urban school. Propensity score matching was used to create a comparable control group in order to isolate the effects of IWB technology on mathematics achievement. An initial experimental group…