In this 2nd edition of "Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning," Mike Schmoker extends and updates the case that our schools could be on the cusp of swift, unparalleled improvements. But we are stymied by a systemwide failure to simplify and prioritize; we have yet to focus our limited time and energy on…

Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015, state education agencies (SEAs) have invested much time, effort, and resources into designing their accountability systems so that they reflect the state's vision and priorities and are in compliance with federal statute. Over the course of the past year, each state has…

This mixed methods study examined whether participation in a virtual community of practice (vCoP) could impact the implementation of new skills learned in a professional development session and help to close the research to implementation gap. Six participants attended a common professional development session and completed pre- , mid- , and…

The volume of cheating, according to professional studies, has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. The research shows that across demographics cheating is more prevalent. This increase has caused some researchers to feel that higher education has developed a cheating culture. This study looks to find ways to combat a cheating culture by…

Cybersecurity is a worldwide issue and concern. Prior studies indicate that many people do not use cybersecurity best practices. Although these prior studies used large-scale surveys or interviews, this study used Q methodology [Q] because Q provides greater insight than Likert-format surveys. In fact, Q was created to scientifically study…

This paper addresses emerging modes of educational governance constituted through new online platforms for teacher professional development. Specifically, I focus here on the OECD's "PISA4U" ('PISA for you'), an online professional learning platform comprising structured assignment modules and peer-to-peer collaborative activities based…

This qualitative study explored preschool teacher beliefs and practices in relationship to observed classroom quality and student outcomes. A phenomenological approach framed the design of the research collected from seven preschool teachers in a large urban school district in Western NY. Teachers were asked two questions about student learning…

Since 1997, Mexico - like many Latin American countries - has seen significant public and private investment aimed at incorporating information technology in the classroom. In-class information technology holds the great promise of revolutionizing the teaching-learning process. The reality is different, often showing negligible impact from such…

The purpose of this phenomenological narrative study was to describe what it means to be Literacy Teacher Educators (LTEs) who supported writing in the context of a research-practice partnership (RPP) in the southwestern United States and to identify elements of the RPP in which we worked that were most useful for supporting writing instruction in…

This article focuses on research findings from multiple evaluation studies on the teacher use of differentiated practices for gifted learners that have implications for best practice in gifted education internationally. Research questions centered on what specific differentiation practices were employed with gifted learners and distinctions found…

Higher education has seen a shift towards promoting student-centred learning. There has also been a push for identifying the 'best' teaching models and an insistence that instructors use these models, despite mixed results regarding their effectiveness. In the current paper, we compare the effects of an autonomy-supportive learning environment on…

Worldwide, 3.0-7.0 percent of school-aged children meet criteria for a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In Saudi Arabia, ADHD appears to be more prevalent than the worldwide average, with estimates of 12.6-16.7 percent. Unfortunately, there is a relative dearth of research addressing ADHD and related training programs…

Increasingly, undergraduate institutions are incorporating original research into the curriculum as a matter of best practice. However, while the practice of science has grown more collaborative, undergraduate research has remained largely confined to single-institution studies. Incorporating long-term, distributed research projects into the…

This article reports the development of a "course trailer" video series that communicates the professional and academic value of general education courses' core competencies and describes the results of a survey measuring the impact of those videos on student perception. Although general education programs represent a staple of U.S.…

Many state and institution leaders have focused a considerable amount of energy on the development of data-driven student support tools that can be used for a variety of purposes. But tools aren't enough to drive progress -- policymakers must also consider the human component of the equation and explore best practices of how such tools, and the…