School teachers must be prepared for ongoing, unpredictable and rapid changes in the world, therefore, they need specialised and general knowledge to be able to think independently and imaginatively. The purpose with this article was thus to report on the effectiveness of a self-directed professional development (SDPD) intervention that guided…

Background: Integrated STEM approaches are acknowledged as important for making school subjects relevant and engaging for students and are reinforced with the current emphasis on computational thinking. Still, such approaches are rarely realized in schools. This study investigates how the traditional 'grammar of schooling' may prevent realization…

Social-emotional learning (SEL) initiatives can have a positive effect on students' emotions and well-being. However, SEL in ESOL classrooms remains underexplored. This article reports on a qualitative study which investigated ESOL learners' perceptions of the effectiveness of SEL strategies in terms of their emotions and well-being. The study…

Age-appropriate use of social skills throughout a student's K-12 career has been linked to a variety of favorable academic and behavioral outcomes (Capara et al., 2000; Malecki & Elliot, 2022; Wentzel, 1993). Social skill deficits are widely present in the secondary setting (Gresham et al., 2010), and research has highlighted 9th grade as an…

The use of exclusionary discipline practices in schools has continued to increase since the advent of Zero Tolerance discipline policies in the 1990s. Research indicates that these practices are largely ineffective in addressing behavior, and result in detrimental outcomes for students and communities. This study focused on the use of Disciplinary…

A qualitative approach was utilized in this study to examine four transition programs' best educational practices in building transition programs for eighth to ninth grade. An analysis of a retrospective study of the four transition programs provided data to support recommendations for best educational practices to build a transition program for…

This action research study explored the use of mentorship as an intervention to improve the attendance chronically absent ninth grade students at an urban high school. Chronic absenteeism is a phenomenon with multiple compounding negative impacts on students. Moreover, it is a complicated problem with multiple contributing factors and potential…

The study presents the design and implementation of team teaching in high school geography classes and analyzes the students' opinions regarding this type of teaching approach. The didactic activity was carried out in the 9th grade, at the Earth's Atmosphere learning unit. The participants in this activity were high school students, a geography…

Literacy is one of the most important skills needed for academic success. High school educators address the learning shortfall in reading through interventions. This mixed methods study evaluated the effectiveness of the "Read 180" intervention program on increasing the reading achievement of 9th and 10th grade general education students…

With the growing popularity of Virtual Reality (VR), the integration of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework provides insights into its role in facilitating student learning in VR environments. VR offers immersive experiences and visualization of abstract concepts. However, the abundance of information in VR can be overwhelming without proper…

A history of trauma can have a significant negative impact on the functioning of a student in the school environment. Check & Connect, a school engagement and dropout intervention program, has been found to have positive effects on student school engagement and decrease the likelihood of dropping out of school. However, a review of the Check…

Grouping students into separate classes according to their 'ability' is an inequitable practice that does not, overall, improve academic outcomes. Research has continued to show that class ability grouping widens the educational gap between students from disadvantaged and privileged backgrounds. PISA data analysis suggests that class ability…

Urban school districts have seen low scores on NWEA Map math scores (Education Recovery Scoreboard, 2024). To foster and promote urban youths' capabilities to learn mathematics, a new method to teach, enhance, and remediate understanding of fractions was developed, Fractions and Signed Numbers Workshop (FracSi). It utilizes the approach of an…

Literacy skills are instrumental to unlocking a child's full potential and have a well-established link to long-term life outcomes. Children who can't read at grade level by 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of school, have fewer career prospects, and earn lower incomes as adults. However, despite some progress on literacy rates,…

The purpose of this study is to define the main problems and provide organizational-methodological recommendations for ensuring vocational guidance for students with special needs. This research describes the main provisions and results of the realization of project work directed at the development of a modern system of inclusive education in the…