This study sought to gain insight into teacher perceptions of their ability to improve a high poverty urban school. The school selected for this study came from a purposive sampling of urban schools that had exited from improvement required status and had then demonstrated gains in student academic performance in subsequent years. Four teachers…

Despite a lack of conclusive evidence connecting autonomous schools and academic success, school autonomy is regularly championed as being a way of not only improving schools but as a way of improving the quality of education in socially and economically deprived areas. This research builds on a recent paper published in "Irish Educational…

In efforts to promote equitable access to programs and services for young children and families, concepts and measures of quality rely heavily on the "counting" of both material and professional resources (e.g., facility and curricula, degrees and credentials). However, looking for high-quality practices in unexpected places--with people…

This paper describes the aims, origins and principles of the "Australian National Exceptional Teaching for Disadvantaged Schools" programme and reflects on findings from its first eight years. As a well-established, mainstream university-based initial teacher-education programme designed to prepare social justice teachers for low…

Formal primary and secondary school education for all students should provide a pathway to overcome inequality and disadvantage. Logically, attending school regularly and often during the compulsory years of school provides the best prospects to achieve educational success and enhance post-school opportunities, particularly for socioeconomically…

Research findings show that inquiry-based science education has positive effects in improving learning of both science content knowledge and scientific inquiry (SI) skills. As a result, various science curricula, including that of Namibia, recommend the use of an inquiry-based approach in science teaching. However, the implementation of an…

This article reports findings from an exploratory study investigating the effects of robotics professional development sessions in underserved middle schools in the southeastern United States. Eleven middle-level science and mathematics teachers from a high-needs school district received year-long training in robotics technology and instructional…

It is widely accepted that effective teachers can make the most significant difference to student learning, particularly for disadvantaged students. On the other hand, teacher education has a critical role in effective teaching. However, can preservice education in Turkey sustain its role in social justice, especially for disadvantaged students?…

McMillan Public Schools (MPS) is a public school system in the southeastern part of the United States that serves approximately 28,000 students. Gregory Middle School (GMS) is one of 52 schools within MPS that serves 985 students. I used MPS and GMS as pseudonyms to anonymize the school system and school. In July 2019, I was appointed as the…

School ratings are important factors for school accountability, accreditation, state and federal funding and impacts the community view on a school. This qualitative case study was designed to address Professional Learning Community (PLC) for a Title I school in need of improvement. The problem was the lack of teacher retention, and ability to…

Louisiana is currently the only state in the United States that requires foreign language (FL) study for some, but not all of their high school students, and these requirements are undergoing seismic changes. Considering that "geographic," "economic," and "integration" factors contribute to whether a school can…

This study examined how secondary teachers used mobile devices for teaching and learning activities in under-resourced secondary schools in Nepal. Twelve secondary teachers from three schools in the suburbs of one Himalayan district in Nepal were interviewed using qualitative research methods. The information gathered through observation of their…

Schools are critical settings in our nation's public health response to the youth mental health crisis. There is strong empirical support that comprehensive, universal programs promote students' social and emotional development and academic success. However, schools, particularly Title I schools, often lack the capacity to implement entire…

The purpose of this study investigated the role of K-12 education in breaking the cycle of poverty in the Southeastern Public School District, focusing on the relationship between school-level poverty and key student outcomes: (a) graduation rates, (b) job placement, and (c) college acceptance. This study assessed the timing of federal-, state-,…

Background: Federal lawmakers passed the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program in 2008 to incentivize enrollment in bachelor's and master's degrees in education and to reduce teacher labor supply issues in high-need fields at low-income schools. The program offers undergraduate and graduate students up…