Ratio and proportional relationships, along with the interrelated topics of fractions,decimals, and percent, provide a critical foundation for algebra (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). Proportional reasoning, which not only requires understanding the concept of ratios and that two or more ratios are equal, also requires the ability to…

A central goal of the education literature is to demonstrate that specific educational interventions--instructional interventions at the student or classroom level, structural interventions at the school level, or funding interventions at the school district level, for example--have a "treatment effect" on student achievement. This paper…

School districts are increasingly adopting technology-based resources in an attempt to improve student achievement. This paper reports the two-year results from randomized control trial of Achieve3000 in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Achieve3000 is an early literacy program that differentiates non-fiction…

Randomized experiments have long been established as the gold standard for addressing causal questions. However, experiments are not always feasible or desired, so observational methods are also needed. When multiple observations on the same variable are available, a repeated measures design may be used to assess whether a treatment administered…

The Comparative Short Interrupted Time Series (C-SITS) design is a frequently employed quasi-experimental method, in which the pre- and post-intervention changes observed in the outcome levels of a treatment group is compared with those of a comparison group where the difference between the former and the latter is attributed to the treatment. The…

Regression discontinuity design (RD) has been widely used to produce reliable causal estimates. Researchers have validated the accuracy of RD design using within study comparisons (Cook, Shadish & Wong, 2008; Cook & Steiner, 2010; Shadish et al, 2011). Within study comparisons examines the validity of a quasi-experiment by comparing its…

Feedback is a ubiquitous learning tool that is theorized to help learners detect and correct their errors. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of feedback in a classroom context for children solving math equivalence problems (problems with operations on both sides of the equal sign). The authors worked with children in 7 second-grade…

Teaching children to get along with others, care about themselves, and actively participate in learning are three of the most important outcomes of the schooling process. Yet children in some schools are not achieving these outcomes, and many educators have not received adequate training to create instructional environments that facilitate these…

This study addresses the effectiveness of "Everyday Mathematics" (EM), a widely used core mathematics curriculum that reflects over two decades of National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored research and development studies (Klein, 2007; National Research Council, 2004) and aligns well with recommended policies and practices by the…

A variety of factors have converged in the last decade to focus attention on the need for more rigorous designs of professional development (PD). Teacher development is increasingly viewed as one of the primary levers for improving teaching quality and ultimately student achievement. The authors present data from the Teacher Knowledge Assessment…

Ratio and proportional relationships are of primary importance during the upper elementary and middle school grades (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, 2000; National Mathematics Advisory Panel [NMAP], 2008). These relationships, along with the interrelated topics of fractions, decimals,…

This paper describes findings from a blocked randomized design (BRD) field study conducted to examine the "Next Generation Preschool Math" (NGPM) program's implementation in preschool classrooms and promise in improving young children's mathematic learning. NGPM integrates traditional preschool activities with developmentally appropriate…

Students often memorize and apply procedures to solve mathematics problems without understanding why these procedures work. In turn, students demonstrate limited ability to transfer strategies to new problem types. Math curriculum reform standards underscore the importance of procedural flexibility and transfer, emphasizing that students need to…

This study addresses the effectiveness of a nationally used core reading program that reflects the research-based practices recommended by the National Reading Panel. This and other similar programs are increasingly used to prevent reading difficulties and ensure that all children are reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The…

In Chicago, over a quarter of students fail at least one semester of algebra in their ninth grade year, and only 13% of students who fail both semesters of Algebra I in ninth grade graduate in 4 years. Offering credit recovery options is one strategy to deal with high failure rates. The primary goal of credit recovery programs is to give students…