Background: The school climate concept has been promising, but has long-standing critiques that have not been adequately addressed to date. The "School as a Protective Factor" approach represents one attempt to offer a new approach that builds on and extends beyond the concept of school climate while addressing previously identified…

Students, families, and communities across Chicago are affected by gun violence, but the levels and experiences differ greatly by location and by the racial composition of communities. In Chicago, recent rates of violence rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then declined to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. Still, there were more than 4,000…

Research on stimulant misuse among students has been rising. These medicines are generally prescribed to treat ADHD, but they are also used by students to enhance their academic performance. To date, qualitative research on the topic is limited, specifically in understanding the "process" of misuse, i.e. the motivations embedded in a…

In the United States, our traditional educational model is outdated, with subpar academic achievement and a high dropout rate. Alternative education provides non-traditional settings designed to help prevent students from falling through the cracks, but the atypical format and at-risk population can make it difficult to assess how effective…

For many students, bullying is a daily struggle. It can undermine their self-esteem and the ability to succeed academically and socially. Educators have an opportunity to reverse this situation and to support students' attainment of successful life outcomes through classroom and school interventions. Supporting student development of social and…

This article makes the case for shifting the national focus from bullying prevention to the systemic integration of evidence-based practices of social and emotional learning (SEL) into US school programs and policies. Several meta-analyses demonstrate that SEL is a promising approach for reducing a range of disruptive behaviors in schools. The…

School engagement is critical to learning and long-term academic success. Feeling overwhelmed with school demands form a threat to students' engagement. We examined the roles of person-internal (academic buoyancy) and person-external (social support) factors in mediating the association between academic stress and school engagement among primary…

In response to tragic school shootings, heightened attention has been devoted to making schools safer through the implementation of security features. However, excessive security measures have a negative impact on school climate, student functioning, and academic achievement. Therefore, there is a critical need to design schools that are safe and…

Whole-school or whole-class programs designed to promote positive behavior can enhance the likelihood that effective teaching and learning occur for all students. This practice guide is intended to help elementary education educators, as well as school and district administrators and parents, implement and support effective prevention-focused…

A safe school environment is crucial to the healthy academic and social development of students, and the safety of a school environment affects a range of factors, from staff retention to parent satisfaction. Perhaps most important, student perceptions of safety affect their academic achievement. When students feel safe, they are better able to…

The South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 forbids discrimination against learners based on pregnancy, while the 2007 guideline document, "Measures for Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy," stipulates teachers' role in preventing and managing learner pregnancy. Teachers are, therefore, responsible for pregnant learners in the…

Since March of 2020, educational communities have largely been in survival mode with little attention, time, or resources allocated to the ongoing work of school safety and violence prevention. Planning and implementing initiatives for a return to school cannot just focus on a return to "normal" because of significant increases in other…

During the last decades, a significant increase in empirical studies concerning school violence is observed. Evidence-based interventions that promote positive school climate have been found to improve social competence, resilience, and students' well-being in schools, resulting in team bonding, feelings of acceptance, respect, and a sense of…

School safety continues to be a concern in today's schools, and comprehensive approaches to school safety are one way to address this concern. However, few comprehensive approaches have been rigorously evaluated. To address this gap, we evaluated the implementation and effects associated with Safe Communities Safe Schools (SCSS) comprehensive…

Decades of research and practice in social and emotional development have left us with a body of knowledge that tells us that (1) social, emotional, and cognitive development are intertwined in the brain and in behavior and influence school and life outcomes; (2) social, emotional, and cognitive skills and competencies grow in supportive…