This study used a randomized controlled trial design to investigate the ROOTS curriculum, a 50-lesson kindergarten mathematics intervention. Ten ROOTS-eligible students per classroom (n = 60) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a ROOTS five-student group, a ROOTS two-student group, and a no-treatment control group. Two primary…

Effect sizes are commonly reported for the results of educational interventions. However, researchers struggle with interpreting their magnitude in a way that transcends generic guidelines. Effect sizes can be interpreted in a meaningful context by benchmarking them against typical growth for students in the normative distribution. Such benchmarks…

The goal of the present study was to test three competing hypotheses about the nature of comprehension problems of students who are poor in reading comprehension. Participants in the study were first, second, and third graders, totaling nine cohorts and over 425,000 participants in all. The pattern of results was consistent across all cohorts:…

Effect sizes are commonly reported for the results of educational interventions. However, researchers struggle with interpreting their magnitude in a way that transcends generic guidelines. Effect sizes can be interpreted in a meaningful context by benchmarking them against typical growth for students in the normative distribution. Such benchmarks…

The Matthew effect, where good readers get increasingly better over time compared to relatively lower-ability readers, is an often cited phenomenon in reading research. However, researchers have not always found empirical evidence supporting a Matthew effect. We used hierarchical growth curve modeling to test for the presence of the Matthew effect…

How do proficiency-based accountability systems affect inequality in academic achievement? This article reconciles mixed findings in the literature by demonstrating that three factors jointly determine accountability's impact. First, by analyzing student-level data from a large urban school district, we find that when educators face accountability…

One of the greatest predictors and characteristics of a high school dropout has been poor reading skills. Students with low achievement levels in reading by the end of third grade are at greater risk of becoming a dropout. The study sought to determine whether the Corrective Reading Program impacted reading comprehension and fluency skills of…

This report focuses on the education of Latinos in Arizona, offering a global overview of the complex, multifaceted problems that contribute to the generalized disenfranchisement of this group. Data portray the current status of the education of Arizona's preK-16 Hispanics. The report is based on longitudinal and comparative and disaggregated…

This program was developed and implemented to help students in the secondary school vocational area raise their reading test scores and reading comprehension through the use of the Individualized Manpower Training Systems (IMTS) lab. The program's aims were to increase the reading comprehension percentage scores on major tests and to assist the…

In response to state mandates, the Hawaii Department of Education (HDE) began reporting on the current achievement status and progress of students scoring in the lowest three stanines of the Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT). The Longitudinal Student Achievement Monitoring (LSAM) process is described and evaluated; it was established to monitor low…

IN AN AFTER-SCHOOL REMEDIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM 16 FIFTH- AND SIXTH-GRADE URBAN DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS WERE TAUGHT TO MASTER STANDARD INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS WITH THE SUPPORT OF TOKEN REINFORCEMENTS. THE STUDENTS HAD SCORED 2 YEARS BELOW THE READING NORM ON THE STANFORD ACHIEVEMENT TEST, AND THEIR MEDIAN IQ WAS 88. TOKEN POINTS WERE MANIPULATED…