While COVID-19 caused unimaginable disruptions to public education, we saw remarkable examples of innovation and commitment to supporting high school student success. In our New England landscape of learning research, we learned that the boundaries of what it means to "reinvent" high school stretched, and in some systems, the momentum…

With billions of dollars in lost economic activity and untold squandered human potential, COVID-19 threatens to leave an enduring legacy. Especially at risk are students who have been least visible in the discourse about learning recovery and have the least amount of time to catch up: those currently enrolled in high school. In this article, the…

Teachers of diverse classes often include different forms of support in their teaching to accommodate the varying learner needs, while some benefit from the services of Learning Support Educators (LSE) who manage the learning needs of students who experience barriers to learning. With the onset of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning became the predominant mode of learning for 33 to 54% of students in Canada's three largest school boards. As inclusive practices continue to grow and online learning is now part of the Ontario curriculum, educators need guidance on how to support K-12 students with diverse learning needs in online and…

The COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period is a unique opportunity to understand contemporary issues in high school reform. Evidence has clearly demonstrated lingering COVID impacts on adolescent students that have deepened pre-existing inequities and worsened teen mental health. There's a natural desire to regain normalcy after the pandemic. But…

Over the past few years, leaders and educators at East Hartford High School in East Hartford, Connecticut, have sought out and tested ways to ensure that each of their 1,700 students have opportunities to form meaningful relationships with adults, engage in rigorous instruction, and receive tailored support. They have prioritized initiatives aimed…

As reported in the first State of the American Student report in 2022 (ED623504), pandemic school closures led to unprecedented academic setbacks for American students. They exacerbated preexisting inequalities and accelerated the youth mental health crisis. The second edition provides basic data on the overall system, but focuses especially on…

After learning that her LGBTQ+ students didn't feel accepted by their peers or their teachers, the author and her students came together to brainstorm ways to educate their peers and teachers and increase LGBTQ+ visibility. In this article, the author describes her role as a high school librarian in founding the "Rainbow Conference" to…

This dissertation examined the application of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in an alternative high school, emphasizing educators' perceptions and experiences. Amid issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigated how educators addressed challenges in implementing SEL into their curricula. The study was based on Fullan's…

From extensive school closings and abrupt transitions to distance learning in spring 2020 to varied levels of face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual learning in school year (SY) 2020-2021, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has disrupted education across the world. While several studies have examined academic changes that have occurred over the past…

At least 55 million students ended the 2019-2020 school year learning at home after approximately 124,000 public and private schools closed their doors due to the coronavirus. More recently, only a little over a third of students were in the classroom five days a week, with the remainder learning entirely or partially at home. At the end of the…

What will happen if students cannot go to school and can rely on online learning? This study aimed to examine whether students' basic learning needs could be met when teaching and learning can only be conducted through online mode. According to Ormrod (2011), the four basic learning needs are arousal, autonomy, relatedness and competence, which…

Special education teachers play an integral role in the lives of students with autism spectrum disorder. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their skills were required as online teaching?necessitated new technology and strategies to aid students on a spectrum and often display symptoms affecting their school success. This study explored how high school…

A successful transition from high school to college requires that students have the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindsets in both academic and nonacademic areas. College preparation is a long process. Students complete a series of tasks including taking academic courses, searching for potential colleges, taking standardized tests, choosing a…

Youth-led participatory action research (YPAR) is a collaborative approach for engaging young people as experts and leaders in the research process. The purpose of this study is to showcase the potential of this methodology as a tool for social justice and equity work in schools. First, we review transformative and critical research paradigms that…