Many preschool language-focused interventions attempt to boost language and literacy skills in young children at risk in these areas of development, though the long-term effects of such interventions are not well-established. This study investigated kindergarten language and reading skills, specifically the subcomponents of vocabulary, decoding,…

Children from low-income and ethnic minority backgrounds have demonstrated substantially lower levels of math achievement than their middle class majority peers for decades. The present study addressed two research questions: (1) when used as a supplement to typical classroom instruction and in isolation from the larger curriculum, does Building…

The notably low level of reading proficiency across the United States, combined with the known importance of teachers for student success, necessitates improved understanding of teachers' knowledge, how it is acquired, and its role in instruction. This study had four goals: (1) identify whether domains of content knowledge and pedagogical content…

Current educational data indicate that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students--students in the ethnic or language minority--have some of the lowest academic outcomes and graduation rates among student subgroups. Supported by more than a decade of literature, culturally relevant pedagogy provides a set of practices that teachers and…

The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with Dollar General Literacy Foundation, is proud to present this issue brief examining the vital role afterschool programs play in building students' literacy skills. This issue brief will focus on the year-round support needed to help students with their reading, writing and critical thinking skills. This…

This study investigates the effects and feasibility of an intervention for first-grade students at risk for reading difficulties or disabilities (RD). The intervention was provided by general education classroom teachers and consisted of 15 min whole-class comprehension lessons (Tier 1) and 30 min Tier 2 intervention sessions in word reading,…

Gender and gender identity are policed by the social environment in myriad ways. For those who challenge normative binaries, they can be positioned to experience different forms of violence. Though mindsets, social movements, and changes in policies have spurred material, social, and economic gains for those who challenge expectations of gender…

In July of 2018, the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans released a comprehensive, summative longitudinal report on the effects on student outcomes of the package of reforms implemented in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. This policy brief reviews the findings of this report by Douglas Harris and Matthew Larsen,…

The price of college is rising, making college feel out of reach for a rising share of Americans. Families can borrow to be sure, but with total student loan debt now above $1 trillion nationally, the situation seems unsustainable. It is no surprise then that in the campaign for U.S. President in the 2016 election, nearly all candidates of both…

Truancy is a common problem facing nearly all high schools across the nation (Baker, Sigmon, & Nugent,2001). Although estimating national truancy prevalence rates is difficult due to inconsistent definitions most current national surveys have found that 4.3% of 9th grade students, 7.5% of 10th grade students, 8.7% of 11th grade students, and 13%…

The purpose of this study was to examine the amount of time spent actively engaged in reading sounds, words, and connected text for students at-risk for reading difficulties in the first formal grade of reading instruction, kindergarten. Observational data of 109 kindergarten students at high-risk for later reading difficulties were collected…

The Holyoake DRUMBEAT (Discovering Relationships Using Music--Beliefs, Emotions, Attitudes, & Thoughts) program was first developed in 2003 as a means of engaging Australian Aboriginal youth who were resistant to talk-based therapeutic approaches. Aboriginal Australians, like indigenous peoples in many other countries, are over-represented in…

This article synthesizes reading intervention research studies intended for use with struggling or at-risk students to determine which studies adequately address population validity, particularly in regard to the diverse reading needs of English language learners. An extensive search of the professional literature between 2001 and 2010 yielded a…

The Supplemental Educational Services (SES) policy, under No Child Left Behind, requires underperforming Title I schools to offer academic tutoring to eligible students. A meta-analysis of findings from 44 external evaluations of district operated SES programs in Ohio showed that scores increased on the academic performance of at-risk students.…

The purpose of this study was to look at teachers' perceptions of challenging behaviors in the classroom, including students who had emotional or behavioral disorders and students who were at-risk for developing these problems. In the format of the survey, teachers were asked to consider the behaviors of their students in respect to gender. For…