Research and Best Practices
The largest in-depth study of school leadership to date, this report gathers and analyzes quantitative data confirming that education leadership has a strong impact on student achievement, as measured by student test scores. The study shows that leadership makes its mark largely by strengthening a school’s “professional community” – an environment where teachers work together to improve classroom instruction. It also finds that rapid turnover of principals reduces student achievement. In addition, the study shows that although the.....
Curriculum Resources
CTE's Role in Adolescent Literacy
This ACTE Brief explores the key role that CTE programs can play in increasing adolescent literacy engagement. High-quality CTE programs expose students to rigorous and relevant information-rich content that motivates them to develop their literacy skills. CTE teachers integrate content-area reading and writing strategies to aid students' learning, and courses provide numerous enrichment activities to help students apply higher-level literacy skills to their interests and future goals.
Intervention Report on three Voyager Reading Programs by the What Works Clearinghouse
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is releasing an Intervention Report on three Voyager Reading Programs. The three programs are Voyager Passport, a supplemental reading intervention system for students in grades K-5, Voyager Passport Reading Journeys, a reading intervention program designed for adolescents who struggle with reading, and Voyager Universal Literacy System, a K-3 reading program. The Clearinghouse examined the research on these Voyager reading programs for students with learning disabilities and identified 44 studies that were.....
Explicit vocabulary instruction and strategies that help students become independent vocabulary learners
Teachers should provide explicit vocabulary instruction both as part of reading and language arts classes and as part of content area classes such as science and social studies. Learning specialized vocabularies contributes to the success of reading among adolescent students. By giving students explicit instruction in vocabulary, content area teachers help them learn the meaning of new words and strengthen their independent skills in constructing the meaning of text.
CTE and Possible Links to Dropping Out (National Research Center for Career and Tech Ed)
If participation in career and technical education has some relationship to dropping out of high school, we need to understand the nature of this relationship better. Research in this area can have implications for our conceptual understanding of what helps students find attachment to high school. Additionally, research in this area could have policy or practical implications for secondary education, as decisions are made about where dollars should be invested and how curriculum should be organized.
After considering simple descriptive.....
NRCCTE Report on the Efficacy of Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment programs enable high school students to enroll in college courses and earn college credit. Once limited to high-achieving students, such programs are increasingly seen as a means to support the postsecondary preparation of average-achieving students. Moreover, though dual enrollment programs typically have been reserved for academically-focused students, increasing numbers of career and technical education (CTE) programs are providing such opportunities to their students.
Despite the popularity and growth of dual.....
The Math-in-CTE model (National Research Center for CTE)
The Math-in-CTE model is a curriculum integration model designed to enhance mathematics that is embedded in career and technical education (CTE) content. It is a process that provides the opportunity for math and CTE teacher teams to work together in communities of practice and to identify where math intersects with CTE concepts and applications. This process leads to the creation of math-enhanced CTE lessons that follow a seven-element pedagogic framework. Premised on five core principles, the research-based Math-in-CTE model has been shown.....
"The Idea Center" for CTE
The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) are searching for ideas and practices that are positively impacting student achievement in career and technical education classrooms, buildings and districts. The Idea Center is collecting this information and making it easy for teachers, administrators, guidance counselors and others to share, comment on and experiment to make career and technical education an even better education for our nation's students,.....
Systematic Reviews of Research: Postsecondary Transitions - Identifying Effective Models and Practices
This systematic review of the literature on transition programs for youth to postsecondary education sought to identify models or programs of transition, establish a definition of successful transition, discover how models or programs are evaluated, and examine the impact of such transition programs, specifically those that aim to facilitate transition from an educational system to another educational system, to program completion, or to specific career-related employment for disadvantaged youth.
Moving Research into Classrooms: Hillsboro, Oregon School District’s Plan for Multi-tiered Literacy Instruction K-12
This is a Power Pt. of the Hillsboro, Oregon S.D.'s K-12 Plan for Literacy Instruction. Some educators may find it a useful resource as they develop their own K-12 Literacy Plans.
The Educator's Reference Desk - Sample Lesson plans by subject sponsored by GEM/ERIC
This collection contains more than 2000 unique lesson plans which were written and submitted by teachers from all over the United States and the world. These lesson plans are also included in GEM, which links to over 40,000 online education resources. The Educator's Reference Desk builds on over a quarter century of experience providing high-quality resources and services to the education community. (From the Information Institute of Syracuse, the people who created AskERIC, the Gateway to Educational Materials, and the Virtual Reference.....
Engaging Learners the SMARTboard Way - Using the Smartboard in the Classroom
Interactive whiteboards are gaining in popularity in schools. SMART technology is one of the most popular interactive whiteboard options. This workshop explores ideas for using interactive whiteboards in the classroom, adapting existing Notebook projects, and integrating resources for each subject area.
Quick Review on Achievement Effects of Four Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools
This study examined the relative effectiveness of four widely-used early elementary school math curricula: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. The study included about 1,300 first graders from 39 schools in four school districts in Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, and Nevada.
Results:
First graders attending schools assigned to the ME and Saxon programs scored significantly higher on math assessments than students attending schools assigned to the.....
Intervention Report on Connected Mathematics Project: Grades 6-8
A new intervention report released this week looks at the research on the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP). This curriculum is designed for students in grades 6–8. Each grade level of the curriculum is a full-year program and covers numbers, algebra, geometry/measurement, probability, and statistics. The curriculum uses an investigative approach, and students utilize interactive problems and everyday situations to learn math concepts.
The WWC review found that CMP has no discernible effects on mathematics achievement. This rating is.....
WWC Quick Review: Achievement Effects of Four Elementary School Math Curricula
This study examined the relative effectiveness of four widely-used early elementary school math curricula: (1) Investigations in Number, Data and Space (Investigations), (2) Math Expressions (ME), (3) Saxon Math (Saxon), and (4) Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics (SFAW).
Health and PE Lesson Plan Library (MCREL)
Lesson Plan Library - Health and Physical Education
These lesson plans and activities are organized under topics. Click the found next to the topic to see the related knowledge and skill statements from Content Knowledge, 4th edition.
Making Mathematics Accessible to English Learners
This practical book helps upper elementary, middle, and high school mathematics teachers effectively reach English learners in their classrooms. Designed for teachers who have had limited preparation for teaching mathematics to English learners, the guide offers an integrated approach to teaching mathematics content and English language skills, including guidance on best instructional practices from the field, powerful and concrete strategies for teaching mathematics content along with academic language, and sample lesson scenarios that can be.....
RTI - Response to Intervention
Response to intervention (RTI) integrates assessment and intervention within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavior problems. With RTI, schools identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness, and identify students with learning disabilities or other disabilities.
Colorin Colorado - A bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners
Colorín Colorado is a free web-based service that provides information, activities and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs).
Research note:
The information on Colorín Colorado is based on a combination of direct research, expert opinion, and best practices. The field of teaching English language learners is highly complex and quickly evolving. While research is underway, the need for accessible information and practical classroom strategies continues to grow. As research becomes more definitive, the.....
