The internal validity of observational study is often subject to debate. In this study, we define the counterfactuals as the unobserved sample and intend to quantify its relationship with the null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST). We propose the probability of a robust inference for internal validity, that is, the PIV, as a robustness index…

This article discusses the impact of a professional learning activity called the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) program on the strategies used by primary school leaders to support teacher professional learning with the view of assisting students to become more able readers. It uses data collected from participants in the PALL program,…

The purpose of this research was to find out if parental involvement in the study school helped to increase student academic achievement. Previous studies have shown that when parents are involved in the educational process of children, parents can expect a gain in academic achievement. This mixed method study examined the relationship between…

A regression model of predictor trade-offs is described. Each regression parameter equals the expected change in Y obtained by trading 1 point from one predictor to a second predictor. The model applies to predictor variables that sum to a constant T for all observations; for example, proportions summing to T=1.0 or percentages summing to T=100…

In this study, I surveyed 337 teachers representing 47 Wisconsin rural elementary schools with similar rates of economic disadvantage but exceeded expectations on the 2018-2019 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI) Report Card. Participating teachers were asked to anonymously complete Wagner's (2006) school-culture-triage survey and…

Rambo-Hernandez and McCoach's analysis into the longitudinal growth of high-achieving students offered two conclusions about the reading growth of high achieving students: high-achieving students lose less ground in reading during the summer, but they exhibit less growth over the school year. This study will seek to replicate the reading results…

In a time when educational leaders and stakeholders are called to do more to maximize student outcomes while drawing on dwindling resources, it is prudent to analyze all factors that contribute to increases in students' achievement trends. Earlier research has focused on the role teachers and principals have played in students' achievement. The…

This study examined how Teachers, Multiple Classroom Leaders and Instructional Facilitators make sense of their instructional practices that support the early literacy practices of African American boys. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a combination of six Multiple Classroom Leaders, Teachers and Instructional Facilitators in the…

Students reading below grade level proficiency lack word recognition and comprehension skills. The problem addressed in this quantitative study was that third-grade students in a Title I school in South Carolina are reading below grade-level proficiency, lacking grade-level appropriate word recognition and reading comprehension skills, as…

The purpose of this quantitative pre-experimental research was to examine if, or to what extent, post-test scores were higher than pre-test scores in math and reading among elementary students in the Pacific Northwestern United States after participation in a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and…

Educators are faced with increased accountability and decreased funding. This means that school districts must carefully determine how they can best invest their limited resources. Informed decisions that serve the best education interests of the students should be the practice of all schools. One small, rural school district has invested…

In Texas, the adoption of a four-day school week (4dsw) calendar from a five-day school week (5dsw) has not been widespread until recent years, but has grown significantly to 40 districts post-COVID through the 2022-23 school year. This report presents findings of an analysis of State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) performance…

The advancement of AI-generated content (AIGC) has made creating pedagogical agents (PAs) for multimedia learning increasingly realistic, simpler, and more efficient. However, little is known about the acceptance of AI-generated pedagogical agents (AIPAs) in picture book videos among young children aged 3-6. To address this, the present study…

The relationship between students' home resources and academic performance has long been of interest to researchers, policymakers, and educators. Access to home resources for learning has been shown to have a strong, positive relationship with reading achievement in many assessments, and for many cycles of PIRLS. PIRLS 2021 expanded upon these…

This article is a revised and expanded version of my presidential address delivered during the 74th Annual Conference of the Literacy Research Association. Part biography and autoethnography, I discuss the need to 'trouble five dark spaces' that affect the literacy development of black male children and teenagers: (1) bounded research orientations…