Currently, 95% of American teenagers own a smartphone device, and smartphone users spend on average about 5.4 hours a day on them. Smartphone ownership, usage, and dependency are higher among teens and young adults than in any other age group. This study addressed a gap in research by examining high school teachers' perspectives on two topics: the…

The California College and Career Readiness measures are new to the California school accountability dashboard, and few studies have examined how these data connect to student outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine the degree of relationship between school protective factors (i.e., caring relationships and…

This article examines the foundations of Latina/o/x excellence as a culturally-embedded practice born, taught, and cultivated in the home by the family members of Latina/o/x high school students. The research team conducted a phenomenological study on excellence in the home, school and community of Latina/o/x youth in Southern California. In this…

Students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) show low academic growth and are most likely to be placed in restrictive learning environments. This research study explored correlations between class settings and the academic achievement of middle school students with EBD. The academic achievement measures are based upon California's…

Using LatCrit and QuantCrit, we examined the effect of school climate, ethnic identity, and self-esteem on GPA in a sample of 300 Latinx high school students. We found significant positive correlations between climate and GPA as well as self-esteem and GPA. Moreover, using structural equation modeling, we found self-esteem mediated the…

The purpose of the study was to examine the quality of high school programs for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the United States. The Autism Program Environment Rating Scale-Middle/High School (APERS-MHS) was used to rate the quality of programs for students with ASD in 60 high schools located in three geographic locations in the…

Purpose: This study explored differences between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)-housed and homeless students regarding substance use patterns on and off school grounds and the unique contribution of homelessness to substance use in school. Methods: Data were from the 2013-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey, a statewide survey of school…

This study sought to identify best practices incorporated by secondary school counselors in California high schools that promote, support, and increase college-going identity and foster a supportive college-going environment for Latino male students. The researcher used a phenomenological qualitative study to capture the best practices and…

This qualitative study examined the experiences and perspectives of five high school teachers in a suburban area in Northern California. It investigated how each mainstream content teacher adapted their curriculum for their Newcomer Emergent Bilingual students. A Newcomer Emergent Bilingual student is one who has recently immigrated to the United…

Few studies holistically examine how students experience the multiple dimensions of school climate and resilience promoting characteristics, or how these two constructs may be interrelated. This study utilised a sample of 78,550 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students in California. Roughly half of the participants were female (52%), and roughly half…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine the degree of relationship between school protective factors, student internal assets, and College and Career Readiness Indicator outcomes. The population for this study included comprehensive, public high schools across California, including only schools that…

Purpose: This qualitative case study sought to understand and examine school social workers' perspectives on their role within California's TK-12 public school system. Theoretical Framework: Bronfenbrenner and Morris's (2007) bioecological systems theory and Frey et al.'s (2013) national school social work practice model were employed as the…

The purpose of this study was to gain recently graduated Black high school students' perceptions of racial climate and to examine to what extent their perceptions impact their overall perception of school climate. Additionally, the study explored the opportunities students were given to use their voice and how this may have affected change in…

Guided by family/work border theory, this phenomenological study explored the effects of stress while attempting to balance work and home through the lens of six high school female principals from the Central and Northern parts of California. This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to examine the effects stress had on the physical…

Research shows that Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are associated with school climate and student well-being, but it is unclear what school characteristics may account for some of these findings. The current study describes characteristics of schools with and without GSAs. Using a population-based sample of 1,360 California public high schools,…