In each issue of "JSD," Joellen Killion explores a recent research study to help practitioners understand the impact of particular professional learning practices on student outcomes. In this issue, she describes Z. Kisa and R. Correnti's 2015 longitudinal study of fidelity of implementation of principles of reform-aligned professional…

Given the rise in prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the legal requirements for public school districts to implement evidence-based educational interventions, there is an increased need for school districts to train staff to implement these interventions with fidelity. The National Professional Development Committee (2014) and the…

The NURTURES project, consisting of three phases, was implemented per its original timeline. Hiring, planning, piloting, and implementation were all completed in a timely manner with regards to the original timeline. Elements of the project were modified for improvement based upon reflection and formative evaluation findings. During the Planning…

Camp scholars have designed structured curricula to engender specific outcomes and to break down the "black box" of programming. Implementation evaluation explores how well a program operates when delivered, further breaking down the black box. The purpose of this study was to explore the implementation of a new structured camp…

In this article, we describe how the recent movement towards evidence-based programming has impacted Extension. We review how the emphasis on implementing such programs with strict fidelity to an underlying program model may be at odds with Extension's strong history of adapting programming to meet the unique needs of children, youth, families,…

In 2011, the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and the City Council's Middle School Taskforce launched the Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI) as an instructional intervention for improving literacy levels in the lowest performing middle schools in New York City. The initiative grew rapidly and now serves over 100 schools and…

This Fall 2015 school status and training report provides a summary of the current implementation status of schools in training results from the Fall 2015 training surveys. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Regional Training Partners (RIPs) sponsor three training sessions per year for schools that are participating in Minnesota's…

We present results of an evaluation of the first year of a multi-year comprehensive middle school reading program. Four public middle schools in rural Virginia with large populations of students with limited reading proficiency participated in a study to determine the reading program's impact. We evaluated 235 students with low reading achievement…

The relationship between school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) and school-level academic achievement has not been established. Most experimental research has found little to no evidence that SWPBIS has a distal effect on school-level achievement. Yet, an underlying assumption of SWPBIS is that improving social…

A growing body of research has established incremental rehearsal (IR) as an effective intervention for teaching basic skills in various student populations. However, there have been no published studies to date in which interventionists have been school-based personnel rather than researchers. In this study, a paraprofessional implemented IR with…

One of the most significant hurdles to overcome in teaching law to business students is getting them to recognize and appreciate the real-world applicability of the law, a seemingly esoteric and irrelevant discipline. This hurdle is especially challenging when teaching Legal and Ethical Environment of Business (LEEB), a course that most business…

Purpose: This study evaluated the teaching effectiveness of six first-year physical educators, three Southwestern and three Midwestern graduates, employing different curricular approaches. Method: Utilizing surveys, interviews, questionnaires, and systematic observations, data were analyzed through a framework of seven essential teaching tasks…

Dialogic reading (DR) is an evidence-based practice for young children who are typically developing and at risk for developmental delays, with encouraging evidence for children with disabilities. The purpose of this review was to comprehensively evaluate the evidence base of DR across early childhood settings, with specific attention to fidelity…

K-12 intervention studies often include fidelity of implementation (FOI) as a mediating variable, though most do not report the validity of fidelity measures. This article discusses the critical need for validated FOI scales. To illustrate our point, we describe the development and validation of the Implementation Validity Checklist (IVC-R), an…

Data reveals that significant opportunity and achievement gaps persist between Wisconsin's students of color and white students, native and nonnative English-speaking students, and students with and without disabilities. In 2010, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction identified Response to Intervention (RtI) as a way to begin to address…