The purpose of this study was to determine how trauma-informed approaches in an urban elementary school art room can foster empowerment in students who have been exposed to trauma and have developed Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders. I implemented a pedagogy focused on promoting empowerment through art making, then collected data on the…

In classroom spaces on a daily basis, students are encouraged to express who they are as learners and demonstrate their own understanding of their learning. Students' ability to contribute to their own learning is an essential characteristic of an engaging classroom space and supports high academic achievement. The authors' work highlights one…

Let's face it--teaching can be stressful. In this generation of Common Core Standards and highstakes testing, educators are often left without the time to plan positive behavioral supports or the sanity to cultivate compassionate relationships with their students. Even though they understand the critical relationship between behavior and…

Partners in Print, a family literacy program, was brought to the urban elementary school in this study to educate and empower kindergarten and first grade parents to promote literacy development at home. This research aimed to explore the impact of participation in this program after consistent participation by utilizing a one-group pre-test,…

This study was designed to investigate the reflective comments of 55 first grade children regarding their experiences in kindergarten and first grade. Data collection involved a conversational interview during which children voiced their reflections and comparisons on specific issues (e.g. friends, teacher, learning) they had encountered during…

This ethnographic study's intent was to understand and interpret elementary teachers' evolving attitudes, perceptions and practices towards non-violence curriculum, the "Second Step" violence-prevention program, and a project model utilizing consultants to implement instruction. Findings included that the curriculum was not implemented as intended…