The importance of student engagement in schools is ever-increasing, particularly in the middle years area. Student achievement is directly linked to a student's level of engagement. Middle years teachers have a responsibility to work hard to understand the needs of their adolescent students, establish connections with their students, and provide…

Teachers in high-poverty middle schools need additional supports from administrators to build collective teacher efficacy. Supportive leadership is the driving force in leading collective teacher efficacy in high-poverty middle schools. A qualitative, instrumental case study was utilized to explore how teachers perceive administrative supports…

School improvement depends, fundamentally, upon collective agency--a group capability to work productively together and solve problems. Unfortunately, many schools operate in contexts of adversity that can pose considerable challenges with developing collective agency. Schools serving high-poverty communities of color often face chronic resource…

The global movement towards inclusive education aims to create a safe environment where teachers are expected to actively pursue various methods to implement asset-based support for all learners. The prominence of the learners' challenges, however, still guides most teachers' methods of support. Teachers need to review all the resources,…

Our research looks into the impact of drama/theatre pedagogy practices and methodologies on teenage bullying in schools. Fifteen-year-old students from a countryside junior high school in Northern Greece participated in our mixed research model comprising a weighted questionnaire, participatory observation, reflective researcher logs and critical…

While research on the marginalization of Latinx teachers has increased, a paucity of research has documented the powerful ways that Latinx teachers resist, challenge, and transform. Informed by the conceptual tools of conformist and transformative resistance, this life history study chronicles the experiences of a Latina in-service science teacher…

As K-12 education undergoes rapid evolution to meet the demands of a changing world, educational leaders must navigate complex challenges to drive meaningful transformation. This article delves into the imperative for change in educational systems globally and explores tailored strategies for fostering a culture of change within K-12 schools.…

The purpose of this study was to pilot the DREAMS (Desire, Readiness, Empowerment, Action, and Mastery for Success) program, a community-collaborative, after-school intervention program designed specifically to address the holistic developmental needs of students at school. The author originally developed and implemented the program in Kerala,…

Parent engagement in middle school has the potential to yield positive effects on the academic success of students and contribute to a growth in a feeling of self-worth. Parents want the best for their children and based on their own experiences, they do what they can to support their children in school and beyond. This study examined the stories…

While enabling students to refer to and build on peer-produced work (termed 'citing' herein) during content creation appears pedagogically promising, its associated learning effects remain under-studied. This research aimed at examining the effects of online citing of peer-generated assessment items during student test-construction on promoting…

This study explores the potential of empowering children as peace agents through education by using the case of the TEC4Schools program. The program is based on Allport's Contact Theory and promotes prolonged exposure to the 'other' culture among culturally diverse groups of students. It is based on the hypothesis that extended contact periods…

Inclusion has become the focus of a significant body of research, advocacy, and committed action in communities, businesses, and schools across the United States and beyond. Professional development focused on inclusion is part of a program called "Joyful Inclusion." Evaluating the impact a professional development program has on…

Professional learning should be designed in a way that is responsive to the needs of teachers and intentionally planned with adult learning principles in mind. This article outlines one practitioner's professional journey to redefine how professional learning is designed with best practices in adult learning in mind. Strategies utilized during…

Awareness-raising efforts regarding the climate crisis in schools have gained momentum in recent years. However, increased awareness of the climate crisis has also led to a rise in eco-anxiety, which threatens the well-being of young people. Therefore, it is becoming important to be sensitive to eco-anxiety in climate crisis awareness education…

This study extends the community of inquiry (CoI) framework and empowerment theory by exploring the relationships between motivational variables, CoI variables, learning presence, and empowerment. We added motivational beliefs (growth mindset, self-efficacy, and task value) as associated variables and learning presence (online self-regulation) as…