Block mode of teaching, also called intensive mode of teaching, has received great recognition and interest from education sector. This mode of teaching is a compressed style of teaching in which classes are delivered in an intensive period of time. Block mode teaching has been found to have potential to enhance student performance. Although…

Last spring, the Covid-19 pandemic upended routines for over 56 million students and challenged more than 3.7 million teachers in over 130,000 schools nationwide to continue educating kids in an online format. This transition to "virtual learning" was understandably trying for all educators, schools, and districts, but some managed to do…

In November 2019, the Legislative Budget Board published a management and performance review of the Houston Independent School District. Among its recommendations was one that concerned professional development for teachers of English learners (ELs). Specifically, the report recommended: "[S]urveying teachers of ELs to determine where they…

To address obstacles of adopting lesson study at scale, this study investigated how a technology-assisted lesson study (TALS) approach could remove the obstacle of scheduling while retaining positive effects of traditional lesson study (LS). The TALS approach involves embedding lesson study within teachers' normal schedules, videotaping the…

Remote laboratories (RLs) have become increasingly seen as a useful tool in supporting flexible shared access to scarce laboratory resources. An important element in supporting shared access is coordinating the scheduling of the laboratory usage. Optimized scheduling can significantly decrease access waiting times and improve the utilization level…

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently display an inability to self-regulate (use materials appropriately and refrain from self-stimulatory behavior) and self-monitor (complete each step in a task before continuing to the next step) their behavior and therefore experience a great deal of failure within their respective…

The theoretical framework for the present study encompassed the four pillars of the Performance Based Diploma System (PBDS) program: small learning communities, educational technology, flexible scheduling, and mentoring. This mixed-methods study uses appropriate portions of the Context-Input-Process-Product program evaluation model to assess…

Two schools in Michigan received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement their improvement efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) Phoenix Elementary-Middle School; and (2) Arthur Hill High School. The experiences of these…

In 2002, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) initiated an innovative and ambitious program for improving student learning through the effective use of instructional technology. Until that point, most technology projects in schools were geared toward integrating technology into the curriculum, and they tended to focus on…

Spatial abilities are fundamental to human functioning in the physical world. Spatial reasoning allows people to use concepts of shape, features, and relationships in both concrete and abstract ways, to make and use things in the world, to navigate, and to communicate. Surgeons, pilots, architects, engineers, mechanics, builders, farmers, trades…

Research funded by the Flexible Learning Advisory Group during 2000-2002 on issues related to online learning and delivery in vocational education and training in Australia was consolidated. Key findings included the following: (1) most students who experienced online learning did so in a conventional class, using face-to-face and other strategies…