The concept of overall subjective well-being has been highlighted in recent years. As society wrestles with mental health struggles, communities often look to schools to fill in the gaps. As such, many schools have added well-being components to their structure. Because many of the most vulnerable students are considered at risk of dropping out of…

The purpose of this article is to explore the concept of empowerment, reframing it in critical terms and in a precise and useful way. I approach this exploration through two participatory action research studies. "Why are our teachers racist?" took place over an 18-month period from 2012 to 2014 at a mid-sized high school in a rural…

This article sets forth the process through which I, an educator of over 20 years, my research mentor, and my 52 Latino/a students answered questions that were important to us through participatory action research. I start the process by asking if and how I am empowering my students, and they start their own parallel process by asking about their…