The central research question is the extent to which gifted programming affects student academic outcomes of gifted as compared to not-gifted students and how this differs by race/ethnicity and/or poverty status. Since the identification of elementary school students as gifted is not random, propensity score matching is used to remove this bias in the estimates of the effects. A matched sample of North Carolina middle school students based on individual level data of both gifted and not-gifted students of varied racial/ethnic groups and income levels is used for this analysis. This enables a comparison of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student achievement to determine the extent to which participating in gifted programming differentiates effects by race/ethnicity and poverty status. I show the additional test score gain, if any, from being in gifted programming compared to students not participating in gifted programs. Variations in gifted program effects across race/ethnicity and income are assessed. This research adds empirical evidence to the more qualitatively focused gifted debate by analyzing differences in student outcomes between gifted and not-gifted students in North Carolina. Since black and lower income students are less likely to participate in gifted programs, they disproportionately encounter less experienced teachers, lower expectations, and fewer resources. The extent to which these additional learning supports translate to differences in student outcomes are analyzed.

Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka, belysa och exemplifiera hur en svensk grundskola arbetar med elever som har dyslexi, dels i generella termer, dels med inriktning mot engelskundervisningen, vad gäller stöttning, hjälpmedel, bedömning och betygssättning samt i vilken mån den undersökta skolans dyslexiarbete harmonierar med styrdokumentens föreskrifter.      För att kunna undersöka det valda området användes semi-strukturerade intervjuer med tre lärare och en specialpedagog på skolan. Intervjuerna sammanställdes och analyserades.      Resultaten på studien visade att skolan arbetar medvetet för att underlätta för elever med dyslexi genom hjälpmedel och nivågrupperingar, men att lärarna ändå till stor del står frågande när det gäller vilka metoder som fungerar bäst, hur de ska handla vid misstanke om dyslexi samt bedömning och betygssättning. Resultaten visade också att engelska är ett ämne som lärarna och specialpedagogen upplever som extra svårt för elever med dyslexi. Under engelskundervisningen arbetar lärarna dock inte annorlunda med elever som har dyslexi, trots att det ämnet anses som svårare. De anser sig inte ha verktygen. / The aim of this study was to examine, illustrate and exemplify both in general terms and in the teaching of English, how a Swedish compulsory school works with pupils who have dyslexia. The study focused on support, assistance, assessment and marking, and to what extension the school’s work with dyslexia corresponds to the regulations of the steering documents.      Semi-structured interviews were chosen as the method for examining the chosen subject. Three teachers and one special educational needs teacher were interviewed. The interviews were then put together and analysed.      The results of the study showed that the school works deliberately to make school easier for pupils with dyslexia by giving them assistance and ability grouping, however, the teachers still seem to have many questions regarding teaching methods, what to do if suspecting dyslexia, assessment and marking. The results also showed that English is a subject which is considered to be especially difficult for pupils with dyslexia, by the teachers and the special educational needs teacher. During the teaching of English, the teachers do not work differently with the pupils who have dyslexia, even though English is believed to be a difficult subject to learn. The teachers do not feel that they have the right tools to do so.

The central research question is the extent to which gifted programming effects student academic outcomes of gifted as compared to not-gifted students and how this differs by race/ethnicity and/or poverty status. Since the identification of elementary school students as gifted is not random, propensity score matching is used to remove this bias in the estimates of the effects. A matched sample of North Carolina middle school students based on individual level data of both gifted and not-gifted students of varied racial/ethnic groups and income levels is used for this analysis. This enables a comparison of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student achievement to determine the extent to which participating in gifted programming differentiates effects by race/ethnicity and poverty status. I show the additional test score gain, if any, from being in gifted programming compared to students not participating in gifted programs. Variations in gifted program effects across race/ethnicity and income are assessed. This research adds empirical evidence to the more qualitatively focused gifted debate by analyzing differences in student outcomes between gifted and not-gifted students in North Carolina. Since black and lower income students are less likely to participate in gifted programs, they disproportionately encounter less experienced teachers, lower expectations, and fewer resources. The extent to which these additional learning supports translate to differences in student outcomes are analyzed.

One charter school’s path to tracking and pushing for privileged passage is examined. The school as it increased in size began to track students first by grade level and then by ability. Realizing that moving mathematics out of the main school program compromised the teaching ideals of the school and potentially student learning. The school has embarked on a program to create a place-based, integrated curriculum developed around mathematics so that mathematics can be reintroduced to multi-age classrooms. Examining the data in terms of trust, size and the behaviors of administrators, teachers and parents at this school in this process are highlighted.

Content analyses of research in the literature of gifted education (Coleman, 2006; Rogers, 1999, 2006) has shown a consistent absence of research investigating methodology for instructing gifted students and for the development of expertise using new technologies. In this study, utilising electronic instructional delivery, an investigation was undertaken of the differential effects and appropriateness of matching the prior knowledge of the learner to the instructional method. Underpinned with a theoretical understanding of gifted education and cognitive load theory, a series of three experiments was designed and implemented to determine whether gifted students learn more effectively under guided discovery design than with example based instruction, while not identified as gifted ability students perform significantly better under direct example based instruction than with guided discovery. Data were collected and analysed in three stages. Experiment 1 was conducted in the novel domain of Boolean switching equations. Experiments 2 and 3 used identical test instruments with novel tasks in the semi-familiar domain of geometry. A total of 155 Years 7, 8 and 9 students at three metropolitan secondary schools participated. The study explored whether the presence of schemas, that facilitated greater problem-solving ability in gifted students, would generate clear evidence of instructional efficiency and preference for either mode of instruction. As students advanced from novice state to expert in particular domains of learning, it was anticipated that gifted students would progress from benefiting from worked example instruction to more efficient learning in guided discovery mode. This hypothesis was rejected as the results from each of the experiments did not confirm the hypothesised outcomes. There was no manifested expertise-reversal effect. The absence of any clear delineation of enhanced learning proficiency mode of instruction for gifted students does, however, contribute to the advancement and understanding of cognitive load theory and the complexity of learning strategies necessary for gifted learners.

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborg universitet, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--College of Saint Elizabeth, 2010. / Typescript. Available at The College of Saint Elizabeth - Office of Graduate Programs. "May 2010."

The education of all students is important in the school system, however, all students learn differently and are at different levels. One strategy that is used to cope with this issue is differentiated instruction. Di fferentiated instruction is when you teach to the individual student's needs by pre-assessing and determining those needs. If the student already know the information you need to move onto something more challenging for them. Often these gifted students already know the information, since they do come into each grade knowing 50% of the curricula, but quite often they are taught it again.

One charter school’s path to tracking and pushing for privileged passage is examined. The school as it increased in size began to track students first by grade level and then by ability. Realizing that moving mathematics out of the main school program compromised the teaching ideals of the school and potentially student learning. The school has embarked on a program to create a place-based, integrated curriculum developed around mathematics so that mathematics can be reintroduced to multi-age classrooms. Examining the data in terms of trust, size and the behaviors of administrators, teachers and parents at this school in this process are highlighted.

Cooperative learning has been one of the most widely used instructional practices around the world since the early 1980's. Small learning groups have been in existence since the beginning of the human race. These groups have grown in their variance and complexity overtime. Classrooms are getting more diverse every year and instructors need a way to take advantage of this diversity to improve learning. The purpose of this study was to see if heterogeneous cooperative learning groups based on student achievement can be used as a differentiated instructional strategy to increase students' ability to demonstrate knowledge of science concepts and ability to do engineering design. This study includes two different groups made up of two different middle school science classrooms of 25-30 students. These students were given an engineering design problem to solve within cooperative learning groups. One class was put into heterogeneous cooperative learning groups based on student's pre-test scores. The other class was grouped based on random assignment. The study measured the difference between each class's pre-post gains, student's responses to a group interaction form and interview questions addressing their perceptions of the makeup of their groups. The findings of the study were that there was no significant difference between learning gains for the treatment and comparison groups. There was a significant difference between the treatment and comparison groups in student perceptions of their group's ability to stay on task and manage their time efficiently. Both the comparison and treatment groups had a positive perception of the composition of their cooperative learning groups.