Two hundred ninety-four children from low-income families (58% White, 17% Latinx, 25% Black; 54% girls; M[subscript age] = 4.49 years old at study entry) were recruited from Head Start classrooms to participate in a randomized-controlled trial of the project Research-based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) preschool intervention and then followed…

Despite ample research on the role of parental autonomy support in adolescents' adjustment, the affective processes underlying parental autonomy support remain relatively unclear. As an initial step to fill this gap, the current research examined whether the association between parental autonomy support and adolescents' school adjustment was in…

This study aimed to validate the Chinese School Attendance Reason Scale (CSARS) for assessing junior high students' reasons for school attendance and examine the relationship between school attendance and school adjustment among Chinese students. Participants included three independent samples of 1,235 students from four Chinese provinces.…

Students with disabilities experience pronounced inequities in the education system, which have been compounded by risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study sought to understand the experiences of students with disabilities and the strengths that facilitated their wellbeing during this period of adversity. In summer 2020,…

Although research has shown that peer victimization is related to negative school outcomes, whether ethnic ingroup size alters victimization-adjustment links is unclear. This study examines whether smaller ethnic ingroup representation amplifies the negative associations between peer victimization and school adjustment. We also examine whether…

This study examined the mediating effect of friends' characteristics (problem behavior and academic achievement) in the association between students' background (family and individual factors) and later academic adjustment, as operationalized by problem behavior and academic achievement. We recruited 998 participants in three public middle schools…

Given the increasing societal concerns about youth's mental health problems in the context of rapid sociocultural changes in urban China, studying the links of appraisals and coping to Chinese children's adjustment can inform cultural adaptations of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for this population. In a school-based sample of…

This study sought to understand the extent to which elementary or middle school mobility was associated with adverse middle school academic achievement and mental health and whether youth or contextual characteristics moderated associations. I contrasted elementary and middle school mobility to consider whether a recent school move or elementary…

When students look back on their most important teachers, the social aspects of their education are often what they recall. Learning to set goals, take risks and responsibility, or simply believe in oneself are often fodder for fond thanks--alongside mastering precalculus, becoming a critical reader, or remembering the capital of Turkmenistan. The…

In this article, I describe a program of research on the psychosocial benefits of racial/ethnic diversity in urban middle schools. It is hypothesized that greater diversity can benefit students' mental health, intergroup attitudes, and school adaptation via three mediating mechanisms: (a) the formation and maintenance of cross-ethnic friendships,…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) offered several academic summer programs to students June through August 2021. These programs offered students opportunities to accelerate their learning, recover academic course credits, and support grade level transition. Although AISD offered a variety of summer programs in 2021, this report focuses…

What are the common types of social goals endorsed by early adolescents and how are they related to their school adjustment? This article discusses the importance of assessing students' social goals during the early adolescent developmental period when peers become increasingly important and youth experience tremendous changes to the school…

What are the common types of social goals endorsed by early adolescents and how are they related to their school adjustment? This article discusses the importance of assessing students' social goals during the early adolescent developmental period when peers become increasingly important and youth experience tremendous changes to the school…

Two hundred ninety-four children from low-income families (58% White, 17% Latinx, 25% Black; 54% girls; M[subscript age] = 4.49 years old at study entry) were recruited from Head Start classrooms to participate in a randomized-controlled trial of the project REDI (Research-based, Developmentally Informed) preschool intervention and then followed…

This study examines the effects of an approach to professional development known as the Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Success (SEALS) framework. The intervention was designed to support teachers in improving the academic, social, and behavioral adjustment of middle school students in diverse classrooms. Online core and…