We studied how the distal policy mechanisms of curricular aims and objectives articulated in official curriculum documents influenced classroom instruction, and the factors that were associated with the enactment of those curricular aims and objectives. The study was set in the U.S. context, where there is an ambitious effort to transform…

In this essay Brian R. Sevier, Joanna Bruno, Karol Gates, Stephanie Hartman, Mary Ellen Pittman, Vince Puzick, Phyllis Reed, and Beverly Reimer describe their effort at the Colorado Department of Education to recruit and engage educators in authoring free and open-source curriculum samples for preK-12 academic content areas. The story of…

Place-based education (PBE) offers teachers a unique opportunity to increase engagement and academic outcomes while strengthening students' connections to their environment and inspiring future conservation. In most instances, classroom teachers must independently choose to implement PBE, such as when discussing topics surrounding wildlife and the…

Purpose: Our purpose was to gather and evaluate accurate, up-to-date information on physical education (PE) policy implementation across multiple U.S. states and regions. Methods: A U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy questionnaire was developed and completed by 4,845 public-school PE teachers from 25 U.S. states. The U.S.…

Service learning has been established as a promising method of teaching and learning that engages youth as change agents in their schools and communities. But service learning has not been widely implemented or studied in rural K-12 schools. This study explores the case of a service learning curriculum, the Working Together Project (WTP), in a…

Background: Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, images, or videos through electronic means. Research has examined sexting in high school and college students. This study seeks to add to the existing literature by exploring the nature of pressured or problematic sexting in middle school-aged subjects. Methods:…

This study examines a three-year teacher wellness initiative in five Colorado, USA, school districts. It focuses on teacher professional development (PD) about self-care and burnout, the value participants attached to the training, and change in teachers' lifestyles, self-care practices, and burnout. Results reveal the value teachers attached to…

With the rise in the availability of absenteeism data, it is clear that students are missing a staggering amount of school. Policymakers have focused efforts on identifying school programs that might reduce absenteeism. This study examined whether implementing the program "Breakfast After-the-Bell" (BAB) might reduce school absenteeism.…

This work chronicles strategies used to engage a low-income rural community in the development of a middle school service-learning curriculum. Through interviews, focus groups, meetings, and retreats, we engaged in a cycle of implementing the curriculum, soliciting feedback, and revising materials. The community's feedback led us to simplify the…

This qualitative study explores how middle school students in the Western United States participated in a curricular unit that focused on action for socioenvironmental sustainability. Using inductive coding and building on prior research, I examined actions that students took during this sustainability unit and how students talked about action…

Throughout the United States, educators lacking formal credentials have increasing opportunities to assume classroom teaching positions. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore the career decision making and early-career teaching experiences of Holly, a noncredentialed music educator working in a public charter school. Data were…

All states have youth sports concussion laws that have helped shape school concussion policy. However, state laws do not specify how schools distribute policy. The present study examined parent, youth, and school personnel's knowledge of school concussion policy in Colorado and ease of access to policy via school website. Youth (n = 1,987),…

Forced sex is a major issue experienced by individuals of all ages, genders, and sexual orientations. Little is known about how LGBQ, transgender, and non-binary young people experience sexual violence. This study examines experiences of forced sex, exploring the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as how other…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of two different reciprocal peer-assisted learning (PAL) arrangements on music achievement and learner engagement in the secondary instrumental music classroom. Using a quasi-experimental design, students from six separate seventh-grade bands from one large urban/suburban school district (N =…

The goal of this article is to explore relations between adolescent values, interests in activities, and their bonding to school. This article presents survey research findings that examine 1,928 sixth- and seventh-grade students' responses to survey prompts about 15 terminal values adapted from Rokeach's (1973) theory of values, prompts about 11…