Purpose: The purpose of this article is to analyze educational changes, in particular transformational changes, and suggest a new approach to shift the paradigm in education using an ecological conceptual framework. Design/Approach/Methods: An ecological analysis of two key factors in education: prescribed curriculum and student autonomy.…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of middle school teachers regarding differentiation of instruction for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Although there has been little documentation in the literature regarding instructional differentiation five factors that facilitate change have…

In 1967, The Tanglewood Symposium was convened in the United States to address the multifaceted issues in music education. The discussion in the Symposium led to the creation of the Tanglewood Declaration, which includes eight statements of implications and recommendations for the music curriculum and has been considered a critical part of the…

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the impact of computer-based individualized instruction in a developing country. We randomly assigned 1,528 students in grades 6-8 in 15 "model" public schools in Rajasthan, India who were using a computer-adaptive learning software to: a control group, in which they were only able to access…

In an era of heightened accountability and expanding educational technology choices, mathematics educators must critically assess the effectiveness of the tools available to them. While deciding on technological tools, it is essential that we not only promote rigor in mathematics but also ensure closing learning gaps and improve students' beliefs…

"A Teacher's Guide to Supporting Gifted Middle School Students" provides insight to help you gain a better understanding of your gifted students during a pivotal time in their development. Employing pop culture, personal stories, and prompts for reflection, this text considers major factors impacting gifted middle school students…

Differentiated instruction focuses on students' readiness, interests, learning styles, and life circumstances, rather than a set curriculum. The perceptions faculty have about differentiated instruction can impact their willingness and ability to implement the practice in their classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore,…

Decreased academic achievement of middle school students is occurring due to educators' inability or reluctance to differentiate instruction and the barriers that impede or prevent its use. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore strategies for implementing differentiated instruction in the classroom and overcoming…

This study investigated how a self-regulated learning intervention, implemented within a personalized learning environment, affected students' self-regulation, self-efficacy, and academic achievement at a middle school. The personalized learning environment in this study was two self-paced units within middle school seventh grade math classrooms.…

Background: Despite educational advances, poor mathematics achievement persists among K-12 students, particularly in rural areas with limited resources and skilled teachers. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based systems have increasingly been adopted to support the diverse learning needs of students and have been shown to enhance mathematics…

The presence of tablets and laptops in schools has burgeoned in recent years, with $4.9 billion spent on over 10.8 million devices in 2015. Despite the large and increasingly prevalent monetary and time investments in education technology, little causal evidence of its effectiveness exists. I estimate the effect of a Math and English Language Arts…

Personalized recommendation plays an important role on content selection during the adaptive learning process. It is always a challenge on how to recommend effective items to improve learning performance. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of applying adaptive testing technology for personalized recommendation. We proposed the…

U.S. middle school teachers have struggled to meet the instructional needs of students in the area of mathematics. Teachers' approaches to assessment and instructional strategies remain understudied; such knowledge could help educational leaders to devise strategies to boost student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine…

This paper explores the school culture and sense of community of a Midwestern middle school after seven years of personalized learning reform. This mixed method study identified a strong school culture based on the School Culture Triage Survey. Focus group interviews supported the survey findings and attributed the successful implementation and…

This paper re-validates middle school students' learning progression of the concept of buoyancy (Gao et al., 2020) by using two-time point data. The previous study developed a four-level learning progression based on data collected at a single time point using cross-sectional design. This single-time-point model of learning progression calls for a…