Background/Context: Schools are spending more money than ever on a growing number of educational technology programs which are designed to boost student learning outcomes, especially after the integration of online learning that was necessitated by COVID-19 pandemic school closures and disruptions (Instructure, 2024; Teras et al., 2020). Rigorous…

Improving achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is essential for elevating individual success and solving societal challenges. Yet national and international assessments paint a poor picture of students' STEM competencies (NAEP, 2019; OECD, 2018). An untapped avenue to improve STEM education lies in developing…

Background: Performance with fractions has been a weak point in U.S. education for decades and has not improved in recent years (Siegler, 2017). High School math teachers frequently rate their students' knowledge of fractions as "poor" and see this lack of foundational knowledge as one of the top barriers to students mastering algebra…

Background: Early-grade reading proficiency is well documented as in important factor for later academic success. Researchers and educators consider the achievement of reading proficiency by the end of grade three to be crucial to future academic success and financial independence (Hein et al., 2013; La Paro & Pianta, 2000; Singh, 2013). As…

Background/Context/Setting: In the wake of growing evidence regarding the negative impacts of suspension on student outcomes, states and school districts have implemented disciplinary reforms, restricting or eliminating the use of suspension for minor misbehaviors. Recent evaluations of these reforms suggest that they have the potential to…

Background/context: Student heterogeneity is a persistent and fundamental challenge in all school systems. In many countries, including Norway, politicians and actors within the educational sector have increased the use of additional teachers, teacher assistants, and special education teachers to respond to this challenge (Bonesrønning, Iversen…

Introduction: Peer victimization is the experience of being a target of intentional negative or aggressive actions by peers (Card & Hodges, 2008). Peer victimization at school is a growing concern because of its high prevalence rates (Finkelhor et al., 2013) and potential harmful impacts on student mental health and developmental outcomes…

Background/Context: Future Forward (FF) is an early elementary literacy program, administered by Education Analytics (EA), that combines one-on-one tutoring with parent engagement to promote student literacy development both at school and at home. In 2011 FF was funded by an i3 grant to develop the program and test its impact in Milwaukee. Two…

Background/Context: Poor social emotional learning (SEL) development places students at heightened risk for bullying, teasing, and social isolation (Asher, et al., 1996; Solberg, et al., 2007). As students experience social failure, school becomes an aversive place which they may actively try to avoid (Gazelle & Druhen, 2009; Ladd, 2006).…

Background/Context: Research has shown that students with strong social-emotional skills demonstrate greater motivation to learn, have more positive attitudes toward school, participate more actively in activities, and show better academic performance than students with social-emotional challenges (Gresham et al., 2020; Kostelnik et al. 2015).…

Teachers frequently rate boys as more hyperactive/impulsive than girls and Black children more than White children (DuPaul et al., 2016; Miller et al., 2009). Do these ratings reflect true differences in their behavior? Researchers have compared parent and teacher reports (Miller et al., 2009), but is hard to draw conclusions from such comparisons…

Background: Dyslexia is a specific reading disability characterized by word recognition difficulties that can qualify a student for special education services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA; 2004; Yudin, 2015). As of 2024, 49 US states have legislation defining dyslexia and enumerating for schools…

Background: There is substantial descriptive and correlational evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated achievement gaps, as historically underserved students have fallen farther behind in reading. Furthermore, contextual factors like concentrated poverty have systematically amplified the negative effects of the pandemic. Recent data…

Background/Context: Chronic absenteeism is a serious problem that has been linked to lower academic achievement, diminished socioemotional skills, and an increased likelihood of high school dropout (Allensworth et al., 2021; Gottfried, 2014). As a result, many schools have begun to embrace early warning systems (EWS) as a tool to identify and flag…

Background: Over the last twenty years, retention has increased in popularity with policymakers who are concerned with student achievement and aim to end social promotion (i.e., the practice of advancing a student to the next grade level although they have not yet met the academic expectations of their current grade level). Despite calls to expand…