All children deserve to learn to their greatest capacity, no matter what barriers they face. The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) is leading educational innovation for students with significant cognitive disabilities through the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC), a network of national centers and 19 states.

This fall, all of the state colleges that prepare future literacy teachers introduced revised curriculums that included more coursework and field experience. The revisions coincide with changes to Minnesota Board of Teaching standards for reading, and both developments are a direct result of a multi-year research project led by Deborah Dillon, Guy Bond Chair in Reading.

Reading may be the single most important skill for children to learn—a portal to the world of knowledge. Yet a 2003 report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that more than 37 percent of fourth-grade students, 26 percent of eighth-grade students, and 26 percent of twelfth-grade students read below grade level.

Sport has enormous significance in American culture—as entertainment, business, leisure activity, health and fitness maintenance. It provides metaphors for everyone from politicians to poets to sociologists. Mary Jo Kane, professor, director of the School of Kinesiology, and director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, is a sport sociologist. Both her personal research projects and the collaborative outreach coming out of the center reinforce her belief that sport is a legitimate filter for academic research.

Jennifer York-Barr supports teachers learning and working together in teams. While the concept of teachers working together may not sound particularly radical, the reality is that teachers tend to work alone as they teach each day, with little time to compare notes, generate ideas, plan for instruction, or review student progress together with colleagues. York-Barr’s research suggests that while working in teams is not an easy task, it can benefit both teachers and students.

Since 1996, Kyla Wahlstrom and her research team at the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) have led the way in the study of later start times for high school students, beginning with their study of the impact of later start times on educational achievement in two different districts.

By many measures, Minnesota public schools are among the best in the country. But underneath the encouraging statistics lies one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation. On any test, in any grade, and in any subject measured by the state, Minnesota’s students of color score lower than their white peers—a problem that is magnified in urban schools. Lower test scores lead to lower graduation rates and lower rates of college attendance, severely limiting long-term economic opportunities.

Student test results and school status have dominated news coverage of education since No Child Left Behind became law in 2001. Despite the commitment to raising student achievement, many schools continue to lag established goals. Exploring ways to improve outcomes is the focal point of much educational research, from studies of teacher practice, to classroom and test design. But what effect does school leadership have on student achievement?

What makes a good teacher? How can quality teachers help students improve learning and student outcomes? Parents, educators, and policy makers want to know.

Parents of the world, take note: You can make a big difference in your children's future by asking them to take out the trash. And do the laundry, wash the dishes, make the beds, put away the toys.

The Rational Number Project is wrapping up, but even after 23 years, questions remain. In the world of research that’s good, not bad.

Federal mandates such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act require schools to demonstrate adequate annual progress from all students, regardless of ability. How to provide that proof for students who often don’t read, aren’t verbal, or who face other hurdles has been a challenge. Educators have struggled for years to find consensus regarding the progress that should be expected of students with significant cognitive disabilities and how to monitor such progress.

Byron Egeland, Alan Sroufe, and Andrew Collins are working to find ways to help more children succeed despite difficult beginnings in life. All three are professors in the Institute of Child Development and researchers in the Parent-Child Project, a 25-year longitudinal research effort devoted to examining poverty as a risk factor in the development and growth of children and young adults.

Engaged learners are successful learners. But how do teachers ensure that a class of beginning readers become enthusiastic, proficient readers? It may be a matter of asking the right questions.

Before they begin formal education, children gradually learn how to use language to interpret the world around them. Professor Scott McConnell (educational psychology), an affiliate of the Center for Early Education Development (CEED) and Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs, studies language and literacy development in the formative years between birth and age five. Through his ongoing research on skills assessments and interventions, McConnell hopes to get all children ready to read by the time they enter kindergarten.