The purpose of the current qualitative study was to explore the characteristics of high-performing Title 1 schools that narrow the poverty-related achievement gap employing an extreme sampling case design. The study examined four case schools that were selected based on 2019 CAASPP data as published on the California School Dashboard with the…

This quantitative study aimed to examine the relationships between third grade reading instructional strategies in high-performing Title-One schools compared to low-performing Title-One schools in four school districts in South Carolina. The study was framed through the lens of Marzano's Theoretical Framework which outlined specific instructional…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the connection between principals' instructional practices and student achievement. A phenomenological case study examined 13 Title I elementary schools in central California that exhibited a) a high percentage of students from poverty, b) higher than average state assessment results, and c) principals…

This comparative qualitative study design examines and compares the leadership styles, characteristics, and practices of three effective principals leading high-performing Title I secondary campuses. This examination is significant because campus principal and leadership is the second most influential factor on-campus that impacts student…

Distributed leadership practices were used by principals to engage teacher leaders in instructional leadership responsibilities to create an innovative learning culture in Title I elementary schools. It was not known how teachers described the influence of principal-distributed leadership practices on organizational learning and innovativeness in…

A research study was designed and conducted to identify effective school characteristics and strategies of high-performing, high-poverty schools. Four High-Performing Reward schools in South Texas that demonstrated longitudinal academic success were selected to study. We developed an 11 effective school characteristics model including school…

African American male third graders in U.S Title I schools frequently fail to read on grade level. However, in three Title I schools in East Texas, this demographic demonstrated exceptionally high reading ability. This explanatory case study investigated the instructional strategies and practices linked to high reading achievement for these…

In the United States, federal funding under Title 1 is provided to schools to improve academic achievement for disadvantaged students. Many students attending schools eligible for Title 1 funding are from families in poverty and at risk for negative outcomes. Identifying instructional factors that mitigate this risk must be a priority for teachers…

The problem addressed in the dissertation is the relationship between high poverty and low academic achievement that persists in spite of efforts to change it. In one Western state, a small proportion of the schools that are eligible for Title I funds, a measure of poverty, have achieved recognition for high student achievement. The recognition,…

The "ESEA" flexibility initiative was designed to give states flexibility with certain provisions of the 2002 reauthorization of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" ("ESEA"), also known as the "No Child Left Behind Act" ("NCLB"). This report explores the early implementation of state…

The "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965" ("ESEA") is the nation's key policy driver for elementary and secondary education, shaping federal, state and district efforts to promote effective school systems and improve educational outcomes, particularly for students in high-poverty schools. The most recent…

This report measures trends in performance among urban schools receiving federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) awards as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Council of the Great City Schools aims to document how member districts of the Council of the Great City Schools implemented SIG and specifically what…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify conditions that are favorable in promoting the academic achievement of children living in poverty by comparing perceptions of teaching and learning conditions in Title I high schools in Alabama that achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Title I high schools that did not achieve AYP. The…

A longitudinal study was initiated in the Tuscon Unified School District (TUSD) to follow the achievement of seventh and ninth grade Title I students: (1) to investigate the suitability and difficulty of the Total Reading Test of the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT) and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS); (2) to compare the gains in…