Monte Vista Elementary School is one of 24 K-5 elementary schools in Las Cruces Public Schools, an urban district in southern New Mexico. The school's 450 students reflect the diversity of its Southwestern community: 75% Hispanic, 17% English language learners, and 68% free or reduced lunch, thus qualifying Monte Vista as a Title I school. Monte…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained teacher professional development in science education affects the classroom instruction of elementary school teachers in third through sixth grade over a 3-year period. The teachers in the study were all elementary endorsed and prepared to be generalists in the content areas.…

Higher education institutions have been noted to be lacking in increasing the utilization of technology for student achievement. The lack of motivation by individual faculty members to optimize their use of technology has been identified as one of the main problems affecting appropriate technology use. The purpose of this research was to determine…

It is an oft-heard refrain in schools: "These schools lack the capacity they need." Or, "We need to build capacity in schools so that students can achieve." In district offices, statehouses, and elsewhere, the sentiment is repeated in various forms, but the term "capacity" is almost always used. What do education…

Differentiated instruction means matching instruction to meet the different needs of learners. To deliver the wide range of instruction required to accommodate differing levels of learners in a classroom, teachers must use data-informed, small group instruction designed specifically to meet students' needs (Kosanovich, Ladinsky, Nelson, Torgesen,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Texas principals as to the degree to which their local school districts are meeting their ongoing professional development need. The study was conducted to analyze and describe the survey and interview responses of Texas principals as to their perceptions of the degree to which their…

With the passing of legislation like the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) and an increased focus on continuous improvement in public education, professional development has progressed from a passive form of learning for educators to a process in which educators are interacting, collaborating, and learning through various methods. This study…

High school graduates continue to enter post-secondary education lacking in basic mathematical skills and thus not academically prepared to enroll in college-level mathematics courses (ACT, 2010). Although it can be argued that those mathematical concepts should have been mastered in grades K-12, educating those students in basic skills…

In 2010, 21 million students across the United States enrolled in one of nearly 4,500 postsecondary degree-granting institutions (Snyder & Dillow, 2011). Students of all academic backgrounds selected institutions they wanted to attend and, likewise, institutions made decisions about which students they wanted to admit. The resulting…

A college degree is more important than ever before for ensuring the economic prosperity of individuals and for society at large. Individuals with a bachelor's degree who worked full time, year-round in 2008 had median earnings of $55,700, compared to the $21,900 earned by their peers with only a high school diploma (Baum, Ma, and Payea 2010).…

For over ten years, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and nine regional Educational Service Districts (ESDs) have partnered to implement a variety of state and federal initiatives to support improving student learning and services to support school districts across the state. This document presents an agreement…

In 2012, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges adopted recommendations from the legislatively mandated Student Success Task Force. They included a recommendation that California's community colleges develop "diagnostic" assessments for use across the system. These would provide detailed information about each…

The previous six chapters have focused on particular aspects of the processes involved in implementing transfer associate degrees in various states. In this chapter, the authors synthesize that information by presenting an ideal state-level organizational model for implementing these degrees and describing the various constituencies involved in…

This paper provides an analysis of international literature and focus group data arising from a three-year critical ethnographic study with 795 young people, educators and parents speaking about transitions through public education in Canada. It fills fissures in qualitative and process-based sociological work on youth transitions and redresses…

This account examines the action learning process adopted by Emerald Group Publishing Ltd., embedded in the organization through the in-company Emerald Academy. In case study format, the paper emphasizes that in order to align learning with organizational objectives joined up thinking and practice is needed beyond the learning and development…