Student engagement report

Student motivation is the topic of Education Week's annual Diplomas Count report features research on student motivation,  levels of  engagement and dedication. It also notes graduation rates nationwide.
Education Week. (2014). Diploma Count.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/06/05/34execsum.h33.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1

Language acquisition research

ABSTRACT: There are three major views of language acquisition. The Comprehension Hypothesis, the Comprehensible Output Hypothesis, and the Skill-Building Hypothesis. Only the Comprehension Hypothesis is fully consistent with all case histories of language acquirers, including cases of polyglots and those who have acquired language despite handicaps.
Krashen, S. 2014. Case Histories and the Comprehension Hypothesis. TESOL Journal (www.tesol-journal.com),
Available for free download: http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles.php?cat=6

Youth use of mobile technology

According to Pew Research, nearly a quarter of teens already own a tablet computer, with younger children not far behind. With the use of these handheld devices continuing to grow by leaps and bounds each year, tablets are coming to your school district soon, if they haven’t already.
Heather Moorefield-Lang, Carolyn Meier, and Rebecca K. Miller (Eds.). (2014). Tablet Computers in School Libraries and Classrooms. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.