The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated racial disparities: while reading and math scores decreased for all racial and ethnic groups from 2020 to 2022, scores dropped the most for Black and Hispanic students. Creating healthy schools that specifically support students' and educators' health and well-being is a critical step in addressing these…

With the passage of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states were required to add a fifth indicator on "School Quality or Student Success" (SQSS) to their school accountability systems. An analysis of submitted ESSA state plans found that 13 states included measures of school climate as their SQSS indicator or incorporated…

In response to highly publicized violent incidents in schools, such as the Columbine High School massacre, school disciplinary policies have become increasingly severe. These policies have been implemented at the school, district, and state levels with the goal of ensuring the safety of students and staff. Many of these policies have one component…