Local student reading results on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness have decreased. It is of great concern that many students had less than full mastery of the prerequisite, fundamental skills in reading. The study site used the Optional Flexible Year Program for remediation of students at risk of not passing the state assessment. The purpose of this concurrent explanatory study was to explore the relationship between participation and nonparticipation in the remediation program and student reading achievement and to better understand staff perceptions regarding the remediation program. Guided by Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation, quantitative research questions asked whether at risk students who participated in the remediation program showed greater increases on reading state assessments than comparable students who did not participate in the remediation program. Qualitative questions examined staff perceptions of the remediation program on the impact of student achievement. Findings showed no statistically significant difference in reading achievement between the experimental and control groups. Perceptions collected through questionnaires and interviews revealed staff negativity towards the remediation program and its ability to positively affect student achievement. This study has the potential for positive social change by contributing to the literature on the Optional Flexible Year Program remediation plan. Study findings will also benefit policy makers, school leaders, and students as they consider strategies presented to improve reading performance.

The focus of this research is bridging the achievement gap for students living in poverty through quality education. Such a study is important because the percentage of students affected by poverty is increasing and the persistent gap in achievement evidences that the right to quality education for students in poverty is not being met. This is mixed-methods study of three high-poverty elementary schools in Idaho. Both quantitative (achievement test scores) and qualitative data (interviews of seventeen teachers and principals) are compared and contrasted. The findings provide evidence that quality education for students in poverty requires relatable curriculum, teachers who are knowledgeable and caring, and a school environment where social-emotional needs are addressed. Quality teachers deliver instruction and provide interventions for student based on individual needs. Loving, caring, and consistent teachers and administrators are a determining factor for success by providing a safe and stable environment for students and staff. Other findings show families have great influence on children and their ability to succeed. Participants felt that supporting families will, in turn, support student achievement. This dissertation recommends the following: (a) a stronger emphasis on teacher quality including competency in content, pedagogy, and dispositions of a caring, quality teacher; (b) a focus on social-emotional needs of student in poverty; (c) the establishment of consistent staff and leadership in schools with high rates of poverty, and (d) a concentration towards building relationships between school staff and families in order to support families in poverty as they strive for their children's academic achievement.