Although School based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers have a variety of responsibilities within a comprehensive program, supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs are considered an intracurricular component. Unfortunately, the ability for teachers to plan for and facilitate SAEs has been reported as lacking. The purpose of this…

READ 180 was adopted by a school district in Southern Alabama (SDSA) in response to students' low state reading and comprehension scores statewide. However, after years of implementation, it is unclear whether the READ 180 curriculum and the instructional practices characteristics of the READ 180 have been implemented with fidelity across district…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore elementary school teachers' perceptions of their level of confidence and preparation for implementing Common Core State Standards in Alabama. The researcher used NVivo to identify common themes among the responses of the participants. The results of this study indicated five major themes:…

This qualitative narrative study explored the unique lived experiences of K-12 educators implementing the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI), a professional development and reading intervention program in the Black Belt region of Alabama. The study involved purposeful sampling of 32 participants from 16 schools in that region, 8 schools excelling…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of technology implementation of middle school teachers in one of the largest school districts in Alabama. This study examined if the use of technology had a positive influence on students' academic performance (reading and mathematics). Although several other studies are equivalent to this…

In 2016, six of six American Nobel Prize winners in science were immigrants. The numbers of U.S. educated graduates who enter the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields have been on the decline, and policymakers and educators have continually sought new policies and programs to try resolve this problem with long-term…

This study was conducted to investigate perspectives of upper elementary mathematics teachers on the Alabama College and Career Readiness Standards, the Common Core State Standards for Alabama. Participants in this study were six mathematics teachers from one school in a large school system in Alabama. Two third grade teachers, two fourth grade…

The current research study looked at secondary teachers' (grades 6-12) perceptions of their preparedness to implement the Common Core State Standards as well as their feelings about the training they have or have not received related to implementing the standards. The problem: Many conflicting views exist among teachers, parents, and others…

For a school improvement initiative to succeed, education leaders must do more than adopt a new program and train staff. This issue of "SEDL Insights" explores steps that leaders can take to ensure the successful implementation of a new program or practice.

Compares teacher and student perceptions about a block scheduling system operating in two rural Alabama high schools since 1995 to 1996. Surveys completed by 481 students and 60 teachers indicated that both groups supported the new schedule. However, teachers' attitudes were more positive than their students'. Fully 58% of the students wanted…

This handbook describes extended-day programs in Alabama schools as an alternative for after-school care. The handbook defines extended-day programs and discusses their rationale and benefits. It further discusses: (1) staffing, including employee procedures and job description; (2) enrollment, including registration procedures, and parent and…

Practices for improving adolescent literacy--which includes reading, writing, and speaking--are much discussed and debated among secondary school educators and researchers. At Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama, the debate has ended after teachers and administrators implemented several practices that elevated student achievement from…