What's New for January 2017
Examining the Relationship Between Middle School Climate and Academic Performance (January 31, 2017)
REL West examines the relationship between school climate and academic performance in two ways: by comparing the academic performance of different schools with different levels of school climate, and by examining how changes in school climate were associated with changes in academic achievement.
Implementation of Title I and Title II-A Program Initiatives (January 19, 2017)
A new report from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance describes state-, district-, school-, and teacher-level implementation of program initiatives promoted through Title I and Title II-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act during the 2013-14 school year.
School Improvement Grants: Implementation and Effectiveness (January 18, 2017)
New evaluation report finds that SIG schools used more of the practices promoted by the program, but there was no evidence of a significant impact on student outcomes.
Strategies to Support Adult Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Opportunities (January 12, 2017)
REL Midwest surveyed the literature and interviewed state administrators of adult education to inventory strategies used in Midwest states to support adult learners' transition to postsecondary opportunities.
Rubric for evaluating K-5 reading/language arts instructional materials for (January 11, 2017)
Practitioners can use this rubric, developed by REL Southeast, to rate reading/language arts instructional materials for grades K–5 based on rigorous research and state standards.
New Report: Functional Behavioral Assessment-based Interventions Lead to Potentially Positive Outcomes for Children Identified With or at Risk for an Emotional Disturbance (January 10, 2017)
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is an individualized problem solving process for addressing student problem behavior. An assessment is conducted to identify and implement individualized interventions aimed at reducing problem behaviors and increasing positive behaviors. The WWC reviewed the research and found that FBA-based interventions have potentially positive effects on school engagement and problem behavior for children identified with or at risk for an emotional disturbance.
Pivotal Response Training Has No Discernible Effects on Communication/Language Competencies for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (January 10, 2017)
A new report from the WWC summarizes the research on pivotal response training (PRT), an intervention that focuses on improving pivotal (core) areas affected by autism, such as communication and responding to environmental stimuli. Based on the research, PRT was found to have no discernible effects on communication/language competencies for children and students with an autism spectrum disorder.
Study Reveals Differences in Advanced Coursetaking Among Language Minority Students (January 10, 2017)
A REL Northwest study highlights the importance of academic preparation to improve advanced course enrollment and success for Spanish-speaking students.
ERIC Releases New Database Fields (January 9, 2017)
ERIC just released new fields that were specifically designed to help researchers easily find relevant studies and additional information for their research. Join us for a webinar on January 18th to learn more about these latest enhancements.
Participation in transition courses: REL Appalachia updates earlier studies with new data (January 4, 2017)
REL Appalachia examined how many schools and students used college preparatory transition courses in grade 12 during the 2014/15 school year as a way to increase college readiness in Kentucky.