This dissertation was designed to examine the impact school-based mentor programs have on school connectedness when compared to a control group with no mentoring. Further, the study was designed to determine the differential impact between peer mentoring and adult mentoring. The research study was also designed to provide data to inform the…

The study reviewed in this document examined the effects of a comprehensive teacher induction program for beginning teachers (i.e., teachers new to the profession) on teacher and student outcomes in 17 school districts across 13 states. The program includes mentoring, monthly professional development sessions, study groups with other beginning…

"The State of Preschool 2017" is the 15th edition of the National Institute for Early Education Research's (NIEER) annual report tracking state-funded preschool access, resources, and quality. Since 2002, many states have made progress, a few have fallen behind, and a handful have emerged as leaders. As a result, disparities in access to…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a 20-week Simulated Developmental Horse-Riding Program (SDHRP) by using an innovative exercise equipment (Joba[R]) on the motor proficiency and sensory integrative functions in 60 children with autism (age: 6 years, 5 months to 8 years, 9 months). In the first phase of 20 weeks, 30 children received the…

Purpose: This study compared the language performance of young children with developmental delays who were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 parent-coached language interventions. Differences in performance on augmented and spoken word size and use, vocabulary size, and communication interaction skills were examined. Method: Sixty-eight toddlers with…

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of parental and programmatic support among 20 urban youth. Existing literature indicates that educators often place blame on parents for their perceived lack of involvement in their children's schooling. However, the participants identified their family members (e.g., parents, siblings) as providing…

This early efficacy study examined the effects of an automated storybook intervention designed to promote school readiness among at-risk prekindergarten children. Story Friends is a small-group intervention in which vocabulary and question-answering lessons are embedded in a series of storybooks.A randomized group design with an embedded…

The study examined whether a professional development program for seventh grade mathematics teachers improved the teachers' knowledge of rational number topics and the performance of their students on a rational number test. Before the first year of the program, schools within districts were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that…

Student achievement in literacy and mathematics for students involved in a Spanish language program at a large and diverse school district in Arkansas, were compared to peers' scores who did not participate in the program. The program was implemented to enroll native English speaking students in a Spanish enrichment program (SEP) with the intent…

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of a skills-focused preschool curriculum versus a curriculum designed to foster children's self-regulation skills. Additionally, the study was designed to evaluate if adding a self-regulation component to a skills-based curriculum would enhance children's outcomes in…

Coaching is gaining attention as a promising professional development approach in early education. However, in practice, many adult educators continue to rely on methods with inconsistent effectiveness, such as one-time trainings and workshops. In addition, there is limited evidence supporting the use of specific coaching models in early…

The School of Planning Policy and Development at the University of Southern California brought together representatives of neighborhood councils and city agencies of the city of Los Angeles together in an action research program. This action research program called the Collaborative Learning Project developed a collaboration process called the…

One public school district developed a full-day kindergarten program for at-risk students, including those who are limited English-proficient (LEP), as a strategy to close the achievement gap. Not all LEP students in this district attended the full-day program due to limited space. The district administrators were looking for research-based…

This exploratory study examined the ways in which fourth grade students, in an urban setting, responded to a nine-week implementation of Marzano's Six Step Vocabulary Process. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the direct instruction of vocabulary and the effects on student achievement as measured by Vocabulary…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of in-situational coaching on the reading success of English Language Learners. This study was conducted using a quantitative research design to analyze summative assessment data related to the reading success of English Language Learners in a sample from an identified population.…