K-12 schools in Ohio are partially evaluated on their ability to successfully graduate students with their four-year cohort. Educators have been tasked with improving graduation rates. This study examined one urban high school to understand and provide insights to increase its graduation rate. This school recently received a poor score from the…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the motivation to educate during times of uncertainty for high school educators at an urban Virginian public high school. This study examined the influence of different factors on job satisfaction relating to recognition, growth, relationships, and remuneration. The theory of…

Agentic engagement refers to students' proactive and constructive contribution to the flow of instruction. The literature on student agentic engagement is missing the voices and perspectives of teachers. Given that the field knows little about what agentic engagement means to teachers, the goal of this study was to describe agentic engagement from…

Close home-school communication benefits children, their families, the teacher, and the school community. Throughout the school year, teachers interact with families in a variety of ways, in person and electronically. In this study, the researcher investigated how twenty-two middle and high school urban teachers initiated and maintained…

Inquiry and disciplinary literacy are approaches in history and social science education that center students as active inquirers who investigate in multiple sources and come to their own conclusions regarding relevant questions and complex issues. These approaches have been gaining momentum in research and practice internationally, but have not…

The movie "Try Harder!" features a group of students at Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, as they navigate their elite public institution and apply to top-tier universities. A critical analysis of this film allows us to understand new trends and emerging discourses in urban cities, showing the way racialized groups are pit…

Empirical research has established that exclusionary discipline is applied to black students at a higher rate than white students for similar offenses, and that this disproportionality cannot be attributed to the severity or frequency of misconduct. Exclusionary discipline, which removes a student from the educational setting, poses significant…

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of high school alumni to understand how and when high school students perceive educator care. A growing body of research points to the importance of the perception of care for optimal student achievement to be attained in a high school setting. Participants of this study were surveyed,…

Peer-tutoring (PT) is a widely studied learning strategy. No studies, to our knowledge, have examined the effects of PT on tutors' metacognitive abilities, particularly in relation to implicit theories of intelligence. Study 1 aimed to determine the effects of PT on tutors' theory and beliefs of intelligence and self-confidence in their own…

This study examines the effects of the Students of Promise (SOP), USA school-based planned mentoring program on African-American high school students' academic performance, behavior, and attendance. One of the primary goals of SOP, serving middle through high school students, is to provide academic support and behavioral guidance to youth…

Urban high school achievement gaps persist despite efforts by principals and extensive research on the positive role of Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE), signaling the need for additional support. This study investigated the potential of teacher leadership in fostering CTE within large urban high schools. Using a mixed-methods multiple case study…

Racial microaggressions, or subtle race-based insults are associated with negative consequences for receivers. Institutional racism in education directly influences the dissemination of these transgressions in schools, as school personnel may engage in microaggressive behavior toward each other and their students. Given recent calls to address…

This study examines the experiences of recently graduated students with and without disabilities in a seven-month inclusive rehearsal and performance process of a musical theatre production in an urban performing arts high school. This qualitative, participatory/practitioner action research (PAR) based investigation provides insight into the field…

Determining the factors that influence implementation of school-based wellbeing and health programs is essential for achieving desired program effects. Using a convergent mixed-methods, multiple informant design, this study considered factors that influence implementation of health programs for ninth grade students and in what ways implementation…

High school dual credit programs have risen to prominence in the last decade and seek to solve the critical issue of academic under-preparedness in graduating high school students. However, current research suggests that as the number of students participating in dual credit courses increases, dual credit pass rates decrease. This current…