This study explores the impact of The Leader in Me (TLIM) design on middle school students' experiences, emphasizing the link between student leadership development, self-efficacy, and academic success. The Leader in Me (TLIM) is a transformational school-wide leadership design that develops student leadership skills by providing direct…

The purpose of this action research study was to understand the web of relationship between career exploration programming stakeholders serving public sixth through twelfth grade schools to uncover best practices. This research, originating in the state of Maine, resulted in improved understanding of the personalities, goals, and characteristics…

In middle-grades settings, students are cultivating critical consciousness to apply general knowledge of equity to their local context(s) (Nojan, 2020). As educators work to foster environments that allow middle-grade students to cultivate critical consciousness, expectations have shifted in the area of leading for equity. We have outlined a…

An approach to action research of innovative and disruptive socioecological understandings of young people's wellbeing, resilience, and engagement in middle school was piloted with a coalition of school principals, lead teachers, police, and community development professionals by an RMIT research team. This coalition was built around the…

The problem is that there is a lack of information regarding the strategies that school leaders use to plan, develop, and implement nontraditional secondary school schedules. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to determine the strategies that secondary administrators use to successfully plan, develop, and implement a school schedule…

Background: Most United States schools include school-based physical fitness testing (SB-PFT), yet little evidence shows how it is implemented, perceived, and used. Purpose: 1) Explore stakeholders' experiences with SB-PFT; 2) identify: challenges in analyzing fitness data, ways schools can use fitness data, and predictors of meeting fitness…

Since at least 2001, an emphasis has been placed on the use of evidence-based practices in schools to close achievement gaps. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) emerged during this time as a framework of evidence-based practices adopted by nearly all U.S. states including Georgia. When implemented with fidelity, MTSS has the potential to close…

Exclusionary disciplinary practices are utilized in schools despite limited benefits and associated negative student outcomes. Alternative strategies, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, reduce exclusionary discipline practices, though research is limited in secondary settings. This study examines how student and school staff…

Exclusionary disciplinary practices are utilized in schools despite limited benefits and associated negative student outcomes. Alternative strategies, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, reduce exclusionary discipline practices, though research is limited in secondary settings. This study examines how student and school staff…

In this practice brief, we explore feedback from a group of eighth and ninth grade students, families, and educators on what has been challenging, what has been missing, and what is needed during the transition from middle to high school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. We also discuss the process for gathering stakeholder…

In this practice brief, we describe several current examples of approaches that are aimed at improving outcomes for students entering high school. Additionally, we present strategies to disrupt the negative trajectory for students with EBD, who seldom receive coordinated, individualized supports during the critical transition from middle to high…