Although the trajectories of children's social skills have been examined across biological sexes, less research has examined these patterns for racially and ethnically diverse children in the United States. The purpose of this study was to estimate the longitudinal growth trajectories of social skills, while examining the influence of biological…

Racial segregation and racial gaps in student achievement in U.S. public schools are well-documented trends. So too are race-based differences in student enrollment in general-education versus gifted and talented programs. But are gifted and talented programs drivers of racial segregation? If so, to what extent? To explore these questions, the…

Teachers' expectations of student capabilities can meaningfully affect future achievement. However, the consistency of teachers' expectations over time and their differential impact by student gender and ethnicity have not been thoroughly investigated in the context of students' reading achievement. The current study investigates the longitudinal…

Background: Recess has been shown to increase total daily energy expenditure, which may favorably impact body mass index by decreasing adiposity. This study examines associations between recess participation and adiposity. Methods: The study sample included male (N = 1434) and female (N = 1409) children 5 to 11 years of age participating in the…

This paper originates from experiences of low participation in science teaching in primary school during ethnographic fieldwork. Focusing on these observations and inspired by other studies conceptualising non-participation, this paper examines how non-participation is shaped and produced in primary school science. Drawing on ethnographic…

Racial/ethnic and economic school segregation represent pervasive instantiations and perpetuators of educational inequity in the United States. Although the U.S. is becoming increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, schools are racially/ethnically isolated. Rising income and wealth inequity are also exacerbating economic school segregation.…

This study examined how COVID-19 impacted elementary schools' reading achievement in rural school districts in South Carolina. The study employed the comparative research design to investigate differences between reading achievement before and after COVID-19 of rural elementary schools regarding gender and racial ethnicity. The methodology of this…

Many previous studies have measured elementary-aged students' connection to nature (CTN), but few have explicitly considered how the use of different terminology (e.g. 'nature' "versus" 'the outdoors') can influence those connections. We utilized a quasi-experimental design to test for differences in affective and self-reported…

In education, among the most anticipated consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are that student performance will stagnate or decline and that existing inequities will increase. Although some studies suggest a decline in student performance and widening learning gaps, the picture is less clear than expected. In this study, we add to the existing…

Research examining reading abilities among Black children diverges significantly from prior literature, which either lacked focus or lacked substantial representation of Black children. Black students, particularly boys, tend to exhibit lower academic achievement compared to their peers. The problem addressed in this study is that Black boys, in…

Disparities in Mathematics performance have been shown across race and gender for decades, although little research has reported the race by gender nexus in terms of disparity. In turn, research done to ameliorate these disparities have assumed that these differences are primarily among student populations who need remedial learning improvement.…

Purpose: The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the extent to which differences were present in the mathematics achievement of Grade 3 Emergent Bilingual students by their economic status, ethnicity/race, and gender. In the first study, the extent to which economic status (i.e., Poor and Not Poor) was related to the…

Research suggests that the quality of interactions and relationships teachers share with students and students' social skills are interrelated, but it is less clear if this relationship is bidirectional or consistent across elementary school. The purpose of this research study was to estimate the possible longitudinal and reciprocal effects of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze the ECLS-K:2011 longitudinal study to determine the impact the mother's education has on her child's kindergarten academic performance, growth and attainment from kindergarten through fifth grade, and the background characteristics that affect child academic development. This study employed a…

Student removal became an increasingly utilized form of discipline since the implementation of zero-tolerance policies during the early 1990s. Evaluative studies have consistently found negative relationships between student removal and academic success. Majority of cases regarding student removal are for minor and non-violent offenses and…