Despite questions about validity and reliability, the use of value-added estimation methods has moved beyond academic research into state accountability systems for teachers, schools, and teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Prior studies of value-added measurement for TPPs test the validity of researcher-designed models and find that measuring…

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) provides international comparative data about students' reading achievement after four years of primary schooling, while also measuring trends over time, monitoring curricular implementation, and identifying promising instructional practices. Conducted on a regular 5-year cycle, PIRLS has…

This research targeted elementary education graduates of a large Southwestern university who were transfer students, and compared them to native students on selected variables. These variables included retention in teaching, and perception of supports and obstacles at the university. The sample consisted of 143 respondents: 73 native and 70…

This study examined preservice teachers' problem-solving skills through the use of an online video case study. Eighty preservice teachers participated in the study with a three-level video presentation by a two-grade-level between-subjects factorial design. The study incorporates a content analysis framework to examine both the components and the…

Comorbidity between SLI and dyslexia is well documented. Researchers have variously argued that dyslexia is a separate disorder from SLI, or that children with dyslexia show a subset of the difficulties shown in SLI. This study examines these hypotheses by assessing whether family history of dyslexia and speech and language difficulties are…

Relatively little research has explored whether schools differ in their effectiveness for different group of pupils (e.g. by ethnicity, poverty or gender), for different curriculum subjects (e.g. English, mathematics or science) or over time (different cohorts). This paper uses multilevel modelling to analyse the national test results at age 7 and…

The research aims to showing the students misbehaviors in formal and private primary schools according to the perceptions of class teachers working in Kayseri in 2006-2007 academic year The data has been collected with the questionnaire developed by the researcher based on review survey and expert ideas. Questionnaire is applied to 245 teachers in…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether looping, a multi-year teaching arrangement where the teacher remains with the same group of students for two or more years is a practicable alternative, as assessed by teacher opinion, to the typical one year grouping of students. Because the teacher is the pivotal figure within the classroom and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between school-based organizational structures that support teachers' development of Personalized Education Plans (PEPs) and their quality as written for third through fifth grade students in each of two Title I schools. A causal comparative design was implemented. Teachers' responses…

The efficiency of schools diverges dramatically across countries in the OECD and can also vary markedly within countries. These differences in levels of efficiency can be traced to policy and institutional settings. As such, moving to best practice could boost educational attainment and reduce pressure on budgetary resources. This paper assesses…

Presents a comparative study of the term "context" across three major research journals: "Research in the Teaching of English"; "Reading Research Quarterly"; and "Journal of Literacy Research." Shows that the most consistent finding reported across studies is that context makes a difference, but a clear understanding of what is meant by context…

This study uses administrative data linking students and teachers at the classroom level to estimate teacher value-added to student test scores. We find that variation in teacher quality is an important contributor to student achievement--more important than has been implied by previous work. This result is attributable, at least in part, to the…

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine (a) ways in which elementary principals in Connecticut influenced the induction experiences of new teachers and (b) how school leaders professional backgrounds and beliefs affected their approaches to induction. Research Methods: The study included six elementary principals from three Connecticut …

Performance by 38 elementary reading-disabled and above-average readers was compared on a series of 6 measures of phonological awareness, including tests of ability to segment, blend, and manipulate phonemes. Results suggest that tasks requiring blending and manipulation of phonemes, in addition to segmentation, may predict decoding ability best.…

Examines factors related to the slower reading of text by reading-disabled compared to average readers. Finds phonological awareness and digit-naming speed consistently related to speed and errors on initial reading and on reading for a fourth time. Finds an independent relationship between phonemic sensitivity and fluency. (RS)