The zero-sum game of education is supported by the implementation standardized testing in a manner that disenfranchises Black students. While assessments are accountability tools for ensuring rigorous teaching and for measuring student learning, the impact of these tests on students' identity needs to be examined. The demands of a knowledge-based…

Education administrators expect teachers to participate in professional learning. Traditional professional learning for teachers comes in workshops, professional learning communities, meetings, conferences, self-guided professional development, coaching, and courses (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2014). Teachers are dissatisfied with this…

The purpose of this longitudinal, mixed methods quasi-experimental study was to investigate the impact of balanced literacy coaching on teacher efficacy, practices, beliefs, and student achievement. The participants were third- through sixth-grade teachers from five elementary schools within the same south suburban Chicago public school district.…

The purpose of this study is to measure the effects that professional development focused on specific Danielson domains has on teacher professional practice and student achievement. This was studied in a suburban Chicago junior high school with a student enrollment of 511 students and 40 certified staff members. The study followed a mixed method,…

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships among an individual's social emotional wellbeing, the extent to which a student's level of basic necessities having been met impact school performance and their academic achievement. The study sought to determine the strength of the correlation among the relationship individuals have…

This quantitative, correlational-predictive study examined the predictive relationship of the NWEA's Map Growth projected proficiency report data with students' STAAR scores in the area of mathematics, using archival data from the 2021-2022 school year. The theoretical foundation for this study was provided by Vygotsky's zone of proximal…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, quantitative study was to examine the effects of implementing a non-evaluative teacher goal setting process to determine if there was an impact on student achievement as measured by MAP growth scores and if there was an effect on teacher job satisfaction. For this study, teacher job satisfaction was measured…

Mandates to improve curriculum and instruction have failed to produce mathematically proficient students, with 40-60% needing remedial coursework in college, despite incorporation of technology. The SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) model redirects technological focus away from specific technologies to how technology is…

Over the past 35 years, the public education system in the United States has undergone large-scale changes to improve student achievement, yet students' scores on standardized assessments have remained relatively flat (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013). The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers'…

The Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core Mathematics Standards were created to assist U.S.A. school districts in providing the rigorous instruction needed to equip all students for college and career readiness and citizenship. Many minority students in the U.S.A. specifically, those in disadvantaged communities are still showing…

In response to legislation from the federal government and the rising number of ELs in public schools many school districts are searching for ways to ensure ELs are making adequate progress on English proficiency. The problem is defining the best method for teaching ELs in the mainstream classroom is difficult. The current gap in educational…

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, control group design study was to investigate the effects of Response to Intervention (RtI) and computer-based programs on addressing literacy acquisition skills. This study is important because there is an inordinate number of students who are designated as requiring special…

The number of English Learners (EL) enrolled in general education classroom environments in Illinois is increasing. State assessment data demonstrates that EL students are academically behind in reading. Since general education teachers in Illinois are not required to have an ESL endorsement and teacher preparation programs do not consistently…

The research is clear; the formative assessment process positively impacts student achievement. However, it is a complex process which is often implemented unsuccessfully in classrooms. Teachers lack a true understanding of how to use formative assessments techniques to make instructional adjustments in a continuous and ongoing manner through the…

The school-based elementary mentor program in this study paired community members with students in a one-hour, once weekly developmental program that focused on building relationships through conversation, crafts, games, and trips. This quantitative study with a purposeful sample (n = 30) examined the social, emotional, and academic impact of…