Curriculum

Beating the Odds: Teaching Middle and High School Students to Read and Write Well

This study investigated the characteristics of instruction that accompany student achievement in reading, writing, and English. It focused on English language arts programs in schools that have been trying to increase student performance, comparing those whose students perform higher than demographically comparable schools with schools whose scores are more typical. The study took place in four states and included 25 schools, 44 teachers, and 88 classes studied over a 2-year period each.

Effective Reading Programs for English Language Learners: A Best-evidence Synthesis

This report is a review of studies examining the impact of reading programs on English language learners (ELLs). The studies focus on comparisons between bilingual and English-only programs as well as replicable models that have been evaluated with ELLs. Results of the review indicate that there were a limited number of high-quality studies. The limited evidence favors bilingual education.

Teaching Expressive Writing to Students with Learning Disabilities: A Meta-analysis

This report presented a meta-analysis of writing interventions for students with learning disabilities. Interventions focused on writing expository or narrative texts. Thirteen studies were found that fit the authors’ criteria. Results indicated that interventions had a positive effect on students' writing and understanding of the writing process.

Mixed Messages: What State High School Tests Communicate about Student Readiness for College

This 2003 study from the Center for Educational Policy Research analyzed 66 state-administered standardized tests from 20 states to determine whether they adequately gauge whether students are prepared for introductory-level college courses. The report concludes that state exams are largely not aligned with the standards generally thought to lead to college readiness and success

Works in Progress: A Report on Middle and High School Improvement Programs

This report, produced by the Comprehensive School Reform Quality (CSRQ) Center, outlines key issues educators face in school and district improvement including transitions, dropouts, postsecondary readiness, violence, and literacy. The report includes examples of how these issues have been addressed and offers further recommendations.

The Inadequacy of Individual Educational Program (IEP) Goals for High School Students with Word-level Reading Difficulties

This study analyzed the goals from the IEP of 54 high school students diagnosed with reading disabilities in basic reading skills (e.g. letter/word identification and/or decoding) to determine whether IEP appropriately acknowledged and addressed these issues. When available, the authors also examined the students' IEPs from elementary school (ES) and/or middle school (MS) and compared these to the high school IEP. It was found that most of the HS IEPS failed to address student deficits in basic reading skills.

Exploring Innovative Schools and Policy Supports that Prepare College and Career Ready Students

The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) recently brought several state policymakers on a trip to New York City to observe schools focusing on a set of ‘deeper learning’ competencies necessary for success in college and careers. These competencies include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, mastery of core content, and learning how to learn.

A Lesson in Blended Learning: Carpe Diem Collegiate High School

Carpe Diem Schools is a public school system in Arizona serving students both online and in person. Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School was founded in 2002 and began implementing its blended learning model in the 2005-2006 school year. Today, the High School serves approximately 160 students, both online and in person.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Curriculum