This paper evaluates potential benefits of the community schools model. The sample consists of 20 Community Schools and 40 comparison schools. Data were obtained from the 2013 Illinois School Report Cards, including demographics, and grade-level ISAT scores by gender and subject. A matched sampling method was used to control for student…

In 14 focus group interviews, sixth- to eighth-grade high-ability students from high- (n = 36) and low-income (n = 45) families were asked to describe the barriers they perceived to their academic success. Three themes were identified through the qualitative analysis: "Constraining Environments, Integration versus Isolation," and…

Neighborhoods provide resources that may affect children's achievement or moderate the influences of other developmental contexts, such as early care and education (ECE). Using a sample (N ˜ 12,430) from the 2010-2011 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, merged with census tract-level poverty data from the 2008-2012 American…

Child Development Accounts (CDAs) aim to increase college completion rates among disadvantaged youth by helping youth see themselves as "college bound." This article summarizes findings about the implementation and impacts of universal, progressive CDAs, with emphasis on outcomes for disadvantaged children. Data come from a large…

This interdisciplinary study explores the intersection of economic equality, bilingual discussion, and early literacy instruction by examining Korean kindergarteners' discussions about poverty and wealth during read-alouds. As part of a larger qualitative study, the current study was conducted in a kindergarten classroom at the Korean Language…

This paper demonstrates that the phenomenographic methodology -- the study of variations of lived experience -- has the capacity to manage cultural and paradigmatic differences between researchers and participants in cross-cultural research. The process of cross-cultural research presented herein makes a contribution to the existing body of…

A broad range of factors go into weighing how well the nation's schools are living up to their responsibility to ensure that students are on track academically and prepared to take their place in a complex, ever-changing society. This third and final installment of "Quality Counts 2018" digs deeply into test scores, high school…

This dissertation documents and analyzes the successful efforts of four experienced Black teachers in a high poverty urban school to develop and sustain ambitious teaching practices. These four focal teachers were part of a larger department learning community that also included three new teachers and a full-time instructional coach, of various…

This research is a study of the educational systems of South Africa and the United States in a comparative perspective. The research examines the success and failures of the two systems, taking black student dropout rates as a case study for understanding the structural, philosophical and public policy foundations of the genesis and development of…

Evaluation is a contested field. This collection considers the relationship between evaluation and research, and the ethical and moral dilemmas raised when evaluating equity and widening participation in higher education. The growing demands for 'evidence of impact' frame expectations that we can justify government funding of particular…

Across Canada, systemic barriers have created an environment where Indigenous learners encounter obstacles to accessing and persisting through post-secondary education, resulting in an educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. The federal government has made it a priority to address this gap. This report expands upon…

The role of school-based mental health counselors (SBMHCs) is essential in addressing the mental health needs of U.S. adolescents. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine SBMHCs' perceptions about factors that affect the use of SBMH services by adolescents from a school district in Connecticut. SBMHCs were chosen for this study…

The National Association for Gifted Children's Whole Gifted Child (WGC) Task Force was the Presidential initiative of Dr. George Betts (NAGC President 2015-2017). The WGC Task Force reflects a collective of expertise related to gifted children, gifted education, counseling the gifted, and talent development. Dr. Betts charged the Task Force…

In this literature review, Hispanic demographic changes in the United States and in Texas are examined. Hispanics have accounted for large changes in population, population change, and proportion of population. Accordingly, the literature was reviewed regarding Hispanic immigrants, both authorized and non-authorized immigrants. The issue of…

Challenges associated with recruitment and retention of participants from underprivileged social communities, in addition to neuroscience researchers' unfamiliarity with these communities, possibly explain the limited number of individuals from these communities who participate in neuroscience research studies. The consequence is a scarcity of…