The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between professional learning community (PLC) factors, components of an implementation of response to intervention (RTI) and student learning in mathematics at the middle and high school level. This study was designed to answer three questions: Is there a correlation between PLC…

This report presents findings from Phase 2 of a three-year teacher evaluation pilot conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Principals evaluated the teaching practices of teachers using The Framework for Teaching, a rubric that includes 22 components grouped into four broad teaching practice domains: (1) planning and preparation,…

Traditionally, at universities, English as a foreign language instructors have used a series of approaches to teach students how to write academic texts in English from both teacher preparation and regular programs. In spite of this, students continue to have problems writing the academic texts required of them in the different courses. Concerned…

We present the most recent steps undertaken to reform the introductory algebra-based course at The George Washington University. The reform sought to help students improve their problem-solving performance. Our pedagogy relies on didactic constructs such as the" GW-ACCESS problem-solving protocol," "instructional sequences" and…

University-based teacher educators across the U.S. have become increasingly focused on making their practices relevant to the needs of teacher candidates. Teacher educators are engaged in a variety of approaches as a means to improve the preparation that they provide to teacher candidates, in order to continuously examine their expertise. These…

Redesigning a course along the lines of a hybrid format that blends face-to-face and online learning brings about changes in instructional practice. This paper introduces hybrid teaching that uses multiple web-based tools to supplement the students' face-to-face learning environment in a difficult situation in Thailand. In order to examine factors…

This quantitative study examined access to school music instruction with regard to race in two urban areas: Detroit, Michigan, and Washington, DC, in 2009-2010. We found significant differences in the provision of music instruction between schools with high and low proportions of nonwhite enrollment, in categories including curricular offerings,…

This study addressed whether prior successes with educational interventions grounded in the theory of successful intelligence could be replicated on a larger scale as the primary basis for instruction in language arts, mathematics, and science. A total of 7,702 4th-grade students in the United States, drawn from 223 elementary school classrooms in…

The ongoing collection and documentation of evidence of students' performance in the classroom is a fundamental component of formative instructional practices, essential for ensuring student success. Multiple methods of collecting and documenting evidence of students' academic performance in the classroom are described. These methods include…

Policy Studies Associates (PSA) is conducting a five-year evaluation of the implementation and impact of the national demonstration of a model for expanded learning time developed by "The After-School Corporation" (TASC). This model, called "ExpandED Schools," aims to transform the educational experiences of students in ways…

Many educators use the preparation of a Business Plan as a culminating assignment in entrepreneurship courses. Additionally, a number of institutions and organizations conduct business plan competitions to further entrepreneurship education. The objective for both of these exercises is to prepare student entrepreneurs for the challenging task of…

In this innovative book, two experienced educators present a fresh and engaging approach to mathematics learning in the middle grades with the transition from arithmetic to algebra. The authors provide a collection of balanced, multi-dimensional assessment tasks designed to evaluate students' ability to work with mathematical objects and perform…

Rubrics are essential tools for all language teachers in this age of communicative and task-based teaching and assessment--tools that allow us to efficiently communicate to our students what we are looking for in the productive language abilities of speaking and writing and then effectively assess those abilities when the time comes for grading…

The decision-making behaviors of 8 raters when scoring 39 persuasive and 39 narrative essays written by second language learners were examined, first using Rasch analysis and then, through think aloud protocols. Results based on Rasch analysis and think aloud protocols recorded by raters as they were scoring holistically and analytically suggested…

Meaningful science education requires an understanding of essential concepts, but it is just as important for scientifically literate persons to use critical thinking as they apply scientific understanding to their lives. Students should learn to use scientific information appropriately to make wise choices and to effectively solve problems that…