This project examined the experiences of six Ethnic Studies students who simultaneously engaged in two youth participatory action research (YPAR) projects, one in school and one out of school. The in-school project was situated within an urban high school that had a predominantly Latinx student population. The research explored the relationship…

In a time of unprecedented polarization in the United States, particularly concerning immigration, schools are uniquely positioned to help students understand the consequences of drastic policy changes. Beyond formal settings such as social studies classes, extracurricular activities may be important for fostering discussions about sociohistorical…

In a time of unprecedented polarization in the United States, particularly concerning immigration, schools are uniquely positioned to help students understand the consequences of drastic policy changes. Beyond formal settings such as social studies classes, extracurricular activities may be important for fostering discussions about sociohistorical…

We analyzed student engagement in physics during a summer course for incoming first-year students, part of a cohort-based learning community designed for students from underrepresented groups in the School of Engineering of a predominantly white institution. The data--video of an episode within the course and interviews of the 11 students one year…

Attention to youth advocacy and sociopolitical efficacy has been evident in developmental research on critical consciousness, yet this literature has given little attention to sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth or issues, or to the interplay between these dimensions of critical consciousness over time. We addressed these limitations within the…

School-based extracurricular settings could promote dialogue on sociopolitical crises. We considered immigration discussions within gender-sexuality alliances (GSAs), which address multiple systems of oppression. Among 361 youth and 58 advisors in 38 GSAs (19 in 2016-2017/Year 1; 19 in 2017-2018/Year 2), youth in Year 1 reported increased…

Childhood obesity is a prevalent health condition, the effects of which extend to mental health, social relationships, educational performance, and long-term physical health conditions. The present study focused on an optimized student support intervention that functions in predominantly high-poverty urban locations, which recognizes students as…

In 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted focus groups with school nurses (SNs) and athletic trainers (ATs) from Massachusetts middle and high schools to assess implementation of legislated regulations relative to the management of students' head injuries incurred during extracurricular sports. Four tape-recorded focus…

As nations have sought to keep pace with rapid technological innovation, governments have renewed their focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with emphasis on developing both technical and non-technical skills in STEM students. This article examines which engineering-relevant skills may be developed by…

The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Challenge was designed to identify promising practices for building skills in six areas: (1) emotion management; (2) empathy; (3) teamwork; (4) initiative; (5) responsibility; and (6) problem solving. The SEL Challenge selected eight top out-of-school programs that not only make a commitment to SEL, but have…

According to recent estimates, there are approximately 427,910 children in the U.S. foster care system; 8,705 of those children are in Massachusetts. Previous research has demonstrated that children in foster care are more likely than their non-foster care peers to be absent from school, have special education needs, and to experience traumatic…

Public education funding relies on revenues from a variety of sources, from local taxpayers to federal programs targeting students with specific needs. The vast sum of funding collected--in excess of $600 billion annually--often masks which entities fund the education of our nation's youth. Questions of funding adequacy and equity across school…

Background/Context: Many schools no longer track classes to increase access to courses at all levels, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. However, informal processes can "de facto" track students, placing them at the same level across subjects. Research shows that de facto tracking is prevalent in…

Applying latent class and regression techniques to data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 997), this study explored the potential academic advantages of time spent in out-of-school activities. Of particular interest was how these potential advantages played out in relation to the timing and duration of activity…

Because of their commitment to the voluntary measurement and improvement of student learning outcomes, colleges and universities that are members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) have been at the forefront of the national shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. The institutions participating in the CIC Degree…