Urban schools, noted for their diverse student populations and variety of instructional resources and personnel, often are challenged in providing a coherent and differentiated instructional program for the wide array of learners served. In this article, we describe coteaching instructional models to support ELL students in elementary general…

Since the mid 1990s, reading instruction has changed and so has the School Development Program's (SDP) Essentials of Literacy (EOL) process. Beginning as a teaching suggestion at one New Haven, Connecticut school, Lincoln Bassett, EOL became a pilot project at Davis Street School in New Haven for the 1996-1997 school year and continues to be an…

Students who are at risk of dropping out of school can be identified retrospectively as early as third grade on the basis of attendance patterns, academic performance, and behavior. Check & Connect is a model designed to promote student engagement, support regular attendance, and improve the likelihood of school completion. The program has been…

This research examined the effectiveness in an urban school district of 2 of the most widely used Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs-Direct Instruction (DI), implemented in 9 district elementary schools, and Success for All (SFA), implemented in 2 elementary schools. In examining impacts on student achievement and school change outcomes…

Evaluated classrooms within four Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) schools, operationalizing the ASP principles, values, and concepts of a "powerful learning environment" (PLE), examining how similarly PLE was implemented in different classrooms and schools, and analyzing the relation between degree of implementation and differences in students'…

Examined a project in an elementary school serving diverse students to promote effective literacy practices among high-risk students. Data from teacher interviews and classroom observations indicated that successful teaching and learning depended on teachers' commitment to improving their instructional practices; selection of challenging and…

Evaluated the feasibility of using classroom assistants to tutor 1st-grade struggling readers in a school with limited financial and personal resources. Comparison of intervention students, students in traditional tutoring, and control students indicated that, although equivalent at the year's start, both intervention groups outperformed the…

Implemented the Orton-Gillingham and TouchMath systems of instruction to improve language and mathematics skill development among at-risk rural first graders. After 2 years of intervention, participating students showed marked improvement in reading scores, and those considered at risk for reading and mathematics difficulties at the beginning of…

Surveyed and interviewed Title I elementary teachers regarding their assessment practices in the first and fourth years of restructuring efforts. Schools in their fourth year of restructuring had significantly higher mean ratings on alternative assessment items than did schools in their first year. Differences were significant for portfolios and…

The Baltimore Curriculum Project brought direct instruction (DI) and core knowledge (Core) to several Baltimore City public schools. This article describes implementation of DI and Core at one elementary school, documenting the dramatic growth in student achievement since implementation of DI in reading and examining distractions that interfered…

Evaluated the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence (RITE), a phonics-based program that addressed at-risk students' failure to develop reading skills and provided teacher professional development. Data on K-2 students in intervention and control schools indicated that the RITE program successfully increased RITE students' reading abilities,…

Describes direct instruction reading programs adopted by Texas' Fort Worth Independent School District, examining the programs selected, selection process, and roles of district personnel and external advisors in motivating, legitimizing, and attracting funding. The article then reviews the evaluation of the implementation process, examining…

Examined preliminary achievement outcomes of the first years of direct instruction reading within six Baltimore elementary schools. Overall, members of the original second grade cohort were nearing grade level by the end of fifth grade in both intervention and control schools. Future research based on well-established program implementation might…

An after-school program for Hispanic American parents and their elementary students teaches them publishing together and helps parents acquire computer skills. The project evolved into a community-based learning community involving families, educators, and community members. Describes the computer learning and publishing activities, summarizes…

Discusses whether schools can be vehicles for improving race relations, describing one elementary school that simultaneously provides language instruction for language minority students and integrates children across ethnic groups to break down tensions fostered by segregation. Innovative classroom teaming, teacher-led professional development,…