The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between the implementation of standards-based grading (SBG) and a rise in student achievement as indicated by the evaluation of end-of-course exam data from the four core subject areas in secondary schools--English, Algebra, Government, and Biology. This mixed methods study…

This guide was created to help district leaders understand the benefits and drawbacks of the four-day school week, assess their district's readiness to make the switch, and evaluate the results of implementing the new schedule. This guide begins with an overview of common goals and outcomes for the four-day school week. It then provides a set of…

Recent attention on partnerships between researchers and practitioners highlights the potential of these relationships to provide high-quality usable knowledge for improving schools. But how do we translate guiding partnership principles into specific actionable steps? How do we build and maintain an effective partnership? How do we reconcile and…

This paper investigates the implementation and outcomes of "Growing Better Beginnings": a family literacy program for four and five year olds. The program builds on "Better Beginnings: Birth to Three" launched in 2005. Parents, teachers and librarians were surveyed and interviewed to ascertain their perceptions of the program.…

The Measuring Early Learning Quality and Outcomes (MELQO) initiative began in 2014 in anticipation of a new global emphasis on early childhood development (ECD). Led by UNESCO, the World Bank, the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, and UNICEF, the initiative aims to promote feasible, accurate and useful measurement of…

Decades of research evidence indicate that high-quality early education can positively affect the learning trajectories of disadvantaged young children. However, despite significant investments to improve what happens in the classroom, publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs continue to display instructional quality that is too weak to prepare…

This program evaluation study examines an implementation of a one-to-one laptop initiative in a rural high school. Specifically, the researchers adopted a holistic view in evaluating the process and outcomes of this implementation by examining the interrelationships among the key participants using activity theory as a conceptual framework.…

The Ontario Ministry of Education announced the Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools in 2010. This policy aims to support parent engagement and provides a vision of its implementation at schools, boards, and the ministry. This mixed methods case study sheds light on its implementation and thus its implication by exploring the parent…

A review of studies selected from the Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) covering the years 1985 through 2011 revealed three key evaluation components to analyze within a comprehensive teacher evaluation program: (a) designing, planning, and implementing instruction; (b) learning environments; and (c) parent and peer surveys. In this…

The purpose of the Synchronous Interactive Video Conference Distance Learning pilot program was to use emerging technologies to expand learning opportunities for students at an urban public high school. Through grant funding, students were able to enroll in Advanced Placement and foreign language courses through an online learning provider. Using…

This report provides an overview of findings from the research on primary class size reduction as a strategy to improve student learning. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive and balanced picture of a very popular educational reform strategy that has often been seen as a "quick fix" for improving students' opportunities to learn in…

While the basic tenets of the RtI model are well-established in the literature, few studies have been conducted to describe its implementation in rural schools. We conducted a qualitative study in three rural schools that had been designated as pilot sites by our state department of education. A cross-case analysis of the data collected through…