For more than ten years, students at Bayard Middle School have not demonstrated mastery of the Common Core State Standards based on their performance on the state assessment administered every spring. Regardless of the particular assessment, students have consistently scored at the bottom of the state when compared with their grade-level peers.…

In this study, we examine the connections between real analysis concepts and secondary mathematics content. This is accomplished by conducting a textbook analysis of a commonly used real analysis textbook. Concepts from the real analysis textbook were mapped to the Common Core State Standards-Mathematics (2010) to determine the relationship…

According to the Common Core Standards Initiative (2024), the English Language Arts writing standards (ELA-WS) are challenging standards designed to ensure mastery of literacy and writing skills. These standards require students to produce written work and images, skills that are reliant on motor development of fine motor and visual motor skills.…

Area models are an important strategy for representing and solving multiplication problems under the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (NGA Center and CCSSO 2010). The hands-on task presented in this article, featuring differentiation and open-ended learning, sets up students to discover area models for themselves. Organized around…

Well-written curriculum materials are known to support teacher learning. Less discussion has focused on whether teachers' guides, curriculum materials written specifically for teachers by textbook publishers, provide sufficient support. In this study, I analyse four US-based mathematics teachers' guides to understand the opportunities within them…

A problem-based learning activity focusing on the human impact on the environment and the importance of sustainable development is presented. The activity revolves around a mysterious island where the civilization is on the blink of extinction, prompting students to investigate how human behavior, ecosystems, resources, and natural balance…

Studies on nature-based education represent a growing field in early childhood education. Nature-based settings are not only influential on children's cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development but also offer an engaging environment for children to learn and interact with each other to learn the subject matter. Particularly, reading…

This study takes advantage of natural variation in alignment and accountability to analyze educator sensemaking of a complex policy environment. It describes how educators in two large, high-accountability districts in New York and Florida made sense of multiple policy changes, including new standards, curriculum, assessments, and teacher…

The Common Core State Standards have driven an awareness for college and career readiness in schools today. This effort has brought to light the role text complexity plays in the classroom and the importance of students being exposed to complex text. Educators' understanding of complex text and their expectations when choosing text is…

Background/Context: In recent years, the American political context has become increasingly divided, as exemplified by the debate over the Common Core State Standards. Initially a bipartisan national venture, the standards became immersed in controversy soon after their introduction in 2010. In the aftermath, a growing body of research has…

Historical fiction is a powerful genre for inviting children into meaningful conversations centered on the lived experiences of others. Historical inquiry immerses readers in interdisciplinary research experiences and complements language arts Common Core State Standards that call for a balance of fiction and non-fiction text. Antiracist lenses…

Leading school turnaround has been conceptualized as a school-level issue focused on immediate change. There has been little consideration about how district leaders change systems to sustain school turnaround successes. This case study research conducted through the lens of Change Theory explores the leadership struggles of one mid-sized urban…

This study addresses the important yet underexplored question of whether the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, which emphasize critical thinking and problem-solving, as well as the computer-based assessments aligned with the Common Core, have facilitated or hindered learning for students with disabilities. By analyzing administrative…

Purpose: In the last 5 years, many states have introduced science of reading (SOR) reforms that require increased attention to foundational skills instruction in grades K-3. The fast spread of these policies raises questions about the mechanisms that facilitated their rapid adoption. The purpose of this article is to examine how SOR discourses…

Background: A common set of standards enables the sharing of curricular and professional development resources across state lines. In a previous study of state-provided standards resources for English/language arts, we identified the number of state educational agencies linking to different organizations' resources. We then identified the 10 most…