Belonging-centered academic environments have been positively associated with increased academic achievement, engagement, and persistence. Yet, belonging is a context-driven construct, indicating that there may be differences in what an individual construes as a belonging-supportive versus belonging-thwarting environment. Therefore, when…

An indicator of college readiness is the participation in advanced courses in junior high school. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to examine the social capital of 7th and 8th grade students enrolled in advanced mathematics courses. This study examined junior high student perspectives in the areas of attitude toward college, teacher…

The transition to middle school is often associated with negative effects on academic achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Educators at a Grade 6 through 8 middle school in the northeastern United States observed students struggle with the adjustment to middle school. Research suggests that developmentally responsive…

This study examined programming practices that have identified in the research as critical for school success for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Secondary purposes of the study were to identify the extent to which these practices were used and to examine student social/emotional and academic outcome data in a public day…

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational services for students with autism in school districts (N = 115) in North Carolina to identify the characteristics and variables that contribute to positive student outcomes. This study used a secondary analysis of data from various resources across the state. Variables included number of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the academic impacts of the Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers on students who participated in this program. The following research questions guided the study: (a) are there significant differences between the Criterion Reference Competency Test English Language Arts scores of…