Teachers are focusing on students struggling to meet grade-level standards and are often ignoring the gifted students in their classroom. The problem addressed in this study was that the educational needs of elementary level gifted students are largely ignored by classroom teachers because teachers often focus more intently on students who are…

There has been an increase in the mental health concerns of students of all ages over the past several years. Specifically, since COVID-19, the social and emotional needs of students at the elementary school level have become drastically more evident. This qualitative action research study aimed to understand teachers' implementation of Morning…

Recent trends in education have emphasized the importance of customizing education for learners (Collins and Halverson, 2009). The current paper aims to explore the effects of one factor that can play an important role in customizing education: curiosity (Luce and Hsi, 2015). We explore how students express curiosity within design learning…

This qualitative study explores preservice teachers' experiences in a service-learning literacy tutoring program offered at a university with children in grades one through eight. This study examines briefly the history of literacy centers and service-learning, the specific instructional tutoring methods employed by preservice teachers connected…

Researchers have looked at the role the teacher plays for mediating emotional regulation (ER) in students, but it is understudied at the elementary level. Knowing that emotional regulation skills develop rapidly in a child's early years there was a need to explore teacher perceptions of ER skills in K-4 students. This qualitative case study…

Teaching children to get along with others, care about themselves, and actively participate in learning are three of the most important outcomes of the schooling process. Yet children in some schools are not achieving these outcomes, and many educators have not received adequate training to create instructional environments that facilitate these…

In January 2019, third graders at Penns Manor Elementary used known math skills and new math skills to draft a pattern and dress a four harness loom to create a woven wall hanging. Twelve core students learned the basic skills and then taught their peers and classroom teachers under the guidance of teaching artist Sandra Trimble. It turned out to…

Background: School breakfast programs (SBP) play an important role in reducing food insecurity and helping provide children with adequate nutrition. Using alternative service methods such as breakfast in the classroom, grab and go, and second chance breakfast may increase student participation. Methods: We compared the SBP participation of…

For socioeconomically disadvantaged children, a positive experience in kindergarten may play a particularly important role in fostering the behavioral adjustment and learning engagement necessary for school success. Prior research has identified supportive student--teacher relationships and classroom emotional support as two features of the…

The existence of an achievement gap in the academic performance among various subgroups of students is a well-documented phenomenon in American public education (Blackford & Khojasteh, 2013; "Education Week," 2004; Hayes & Grether, 1969; Hernandez, 2011; National Center for Educational Statistics, 2015). This is certainly the…

The purpose of this article is to provide a description of contrasting discourse patterns during small-group reading instruction. The authors report on case studies conducted in two 1st-grade classrooms in different school districts in Pennsylvania. Small-group reading instruction was observed over the course of one year in each classroom, and…

This study evaluates the effects of classroom peers on standardized testing achievement for all third- and fourth-grade students in the Philadelphia School District over 6 school years. With a comprehensive individual-and multilevel data set of all students matched to teachers, classrooms, and schools, two empirical strategies are employed. The…

Both early childhood maternal language input and the quality of classroom instruction in elementary school have been shown to be important environmental supports in predicting children's literacy skill development. However, no studies have simultaneously examined these two environmental supports in relation to children's early language skills and…

The Impact of Facilitating Art Experiences for Students with Language-Based Learning Disabilities Through the Use of Universal Design for Learning Within a Makerspace will address the topics of utilizing Universal Design of Learning (UDL), and Project-Based Learning (PBL) to deliver an arts-based STEAM curriculum within a Makerspace, in order to…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a critical developmental process where children acquire and develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to manage emotions, develop and maintain relationships, and make appropriate decisions. The purpose of this evaluation was to examine how the Emotional ABCs Program increased students'…