The reauthorization of IDEA (the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) includes potential use of a response to intervention (RTI) model for the identification of learning disabilities. Using this model, a variety of academic interventions may be implemented with a low-achieving student, with the results monitored to…

A regression discontinuity strategy is used to estimate the effect of teacher training on reading performance and math among elementary students. It was found that modest investments in staff development is completely ineffective in increasing performances of elementary school children in poor schools.

The intention of the research reported here was to seek explanations for low achievement in school mathematics, as conventionally assessed, that derive from broad understandings of mathematics as social. Such a broad social perspective can provide explanations for low achievement, which could lead to different understandings and hence to different…

This qualitative study investigates the ability of adult low-skilled readers to talk about the thought processes and phonetic strategies they use to make decisions about their spelling. Four adult learners, all exhibiting word knowledge at a second-grade level or below, participated in individual 45-minute audiotaped interviews. Selected portions…

We investigated the relationship between reading and explicit and implicit categorical learning by comparing university students with poor reading to students with normal reading abilities on two categorical learning tasks. One categorical learning task involved sorting simple geometric shapes into two groups according to a unidimensional rule.…

The drive to expand access to higher education (HE) in the UK assumes that it is a desirable option that will benefit both the individual and his or her wider community. There is also an assumption that low aspirations and low achievements present a barrier to increasing participation rates. Based upon a recent qualitative study of young people in…

The "Quantum Opportunity Program" ("QOP") is an intensive and comprehensive program for high school-aged youth that offers case management, mentoring, tutoring, and other education and support services. The program also offers financial incentives for participation in program activities. Participants enter "QOP" in…

Stepping Stones to Literacy (SSL) is a supplemental curriculum designed to promote listening, print conventions, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and serial processing/rapid naming (quickly naming familiar visual symbols and stimuli such as letters or colors). The program targets kindergarten and older preschool students considered to…

Using detailed data from North Carolina, we examine the frequency, incidence, and consequences of teacher absences in public schools, as well as the impact of an absence disincentive policy. The incidence of teacher absences is regressive: schools in the poorest quartile averaged almost one extra sick day per teacher than schools in the highest…

Most guides on the process of turning around low-performing schools typically are addressed to principals and superintendents. Teachers, however, are the individuals expected to conduct the "heavy lifting" of school improvement. This is the first book on the subject written expressly for teachers. It provides a step-by-step introduction to the…

This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of emotional, behavior and academic problems and their association in a 7th grade school-based sample. Behavioral data were gathered in the beginning and end of the school year and academic data were collected six times throughout the year (twice every trimester). In the whole we found that,…

The continued low academic attainment of Black pupils is now a well-established, familiar feature of the annual statistics of educational attainment. Black pupils tend to consistently perform below their white counterparts and below the national average. Key debates, examining how to address the difference in attainment gap, have tended to focus…

Managing chronic excuse-making behaviors of faculty can be difficult and challenging for college administrators. In this article, Schlenker's responsibility triangle is applied in the higher education forum to better understand the underpinnings of responsibility and accountability in faculty jobs. Using this framework, attention is given to…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act and previous performance-based accountability policies are based on a theoretical assumption that sanctions will motivate school staff to perform at higher levels and focus attention on student outcomes. Using data from Chicago, this article draws on expectancy and incentive theories to examine whether…

This study reports on a new instrument, the Academic Rational Beliefs Scale, designed to measure college students' academic beliefs along a rational-irrational continuum. The new instrument is potentially useful when working with students experiencing academic difficulties. Information about test construction, reliability, validity, and…