Students at a suburban high school in the American Mountain West have been separated by race, linguistic ability, and socio-economic status for decades, and the research posits that the ways in which students have moved in cohorts throughout past decades has largely determined their academic pathways in high school. The researcher studied eight…

Federal policy recognizes the importance of effective educators, particularly in high-needs schools. Research has shown that the most critical school-related factor that influences student learning and achievement is teacher quality (Hanushek, 2011). The Texas Center for Educator Excellence (TxCEE) aims to address the research-based and…

The true purpose of this study is to contribute to researchers' and practitioners' understanding of the power of Teacher-Student Relationships (TSRs) relative to at-risk students' graduation status. Much of the research surrounding dropouts focuses on root causes like attendance, retention, and families' economic status. However, minimal research…

This study examined the effects of extracurricular absences on final grades and State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End-of-Course (EOC) scores. A multiple regression test was run to determine whether there was a significant relationship between the grades of students with extracurricular absences and their STAAR EOC scores.…

Background/Context: In the field of education, the lens of agency has provided a valuable conceptual alternative to deterministic portrayals of schools as oppressive institutions where teachers and students have little power over the conditions in which they teach and learn. A number of studies have investigated teacher and student agency, but few…

The purpose of this study was to explore the behaviors and characteristics of school leadership, specifically principals' behaviors, that lead to increased student achievement. This study examined (a) what type of information is available to principals, (b) how they use the information, and (c) what factors determine a positive or negative impact…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among collective efficacy factors, as measured by the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, and college readiness scores, as reported by American College Testing (ACT), for high schools in the state of Illinois. The 5Essentials have been considered crucial to school success and therefore used to…

The mathematics achievement of seventh grade general education students placed in an inclusive setting with students in need of special education services was compared to the mathematics achievement of seventh grade general education students placed in a classroom without students in need of special education services. Participants included…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the Marzano Focused School Leader and Teacher Evaluation Models impacted school leader and teacher effectiveness to increase student proficiency and growth. This quantitative, non-experimental study was conducted using existing data in all middle schools in a large suburban school district in…

In this article, we introduce a special collection of research articles that consider the processes and consequences of school choice across different social and spatial contexts in order to better understand the relationship between school choice and stratification in educational opportunity. This special issue presents a wide range of studies…

School District Effectiveness Research (SDER) works to identify unusually effective organizations for in-depth qualitative study that significantly outperform peer districts over multiple years. Yet, critiques of SDER include a focus on cross-sectional data, individual states, and percent proficient metrics. Here, we analyze the Stanford Education…

Students with Emotional Impairment (EI) continue to experience poor short- and long-term outcomes within U.S. public schools. Despite raised academic and functional skill standards set federally in the Endrew F. vs Douglas Supreme Court case (2017), students with EI are not yet receiving their Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This…

To enhance society through equitable educational attainment, efforts are being made in school districts to investigate practices and student data to provide more equitable opportunities for the students and families they serve. Given the importance of school leaders and their impact on student achievement and school climate (Bass & Riggio,…

The problem under examination is the course success of High School students in Face-to Face and Blended classroom environments. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the participation and performances of Face-to-Face and Blended high school students in different classes. Students' achievement and participation in Face-to-Face and…

This study examined student perceptions towards testing mandates. The specific purpose was to gain an understanding into the perceptions students have towards testing mandates and determine their perceived value in the areas of (1) Improvement, (2) External Attribution, (3) Affective Benefits, and (4) Irrelevance. In analyzing the perceptions of…