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.…

Background: This empirical study aims to investigate the association between mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics achievement gaps among students in Grades 4, 8, and 12, utilizing data from the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The study also considers student-level (e.g., mathematics self-efficacy, gender,…

There is a clear and well-documented link between physical activity (PA) and health. However, many youth do not participate in the recommended levels of PA in order to gain health benefits. Given the health disparities among urban youth, specifically among African American youth, and mindful of the lack of data for Arab Americans, the purpose of…

Repeated victims of school bullying are at risk for maladjustment and could potentially benefit from selective intervention. However, selective intervention requires a practical method for accurately identifying members of the targeted group. We examined the extent to which the global victimization item from the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire…

This dissertation researched the scope of mathematics achievement disparities in the United States and how these disparities can be minimized through a self-efficacy lens. To answer pertinent research questions with data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2019 mathematics assessment in Grades 4, 8, and 12, gap analyses,…

This study investigated factors associated with fourth graders' music knowledge assessed by the South Carolina Arts Assessment Program (SCAAP). Participants included 2,683 fourth-grade students nested within 35 elementary schools in South Carolina, United States. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to examine both the student-level…

Few studies have explored the moderating effects of race on children's physical activity (PA) and psychosocial beliefs, particularly in physical education (PE) setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether children's PA behaviors and PA-related psychosocial beliefs differed as a function of race, as well as to explore any racial…

Supporting student wellbeing in schools is increasingly becoming a global priority. However, research and initiatives primarily focus on general wellbeing rather than subject-specific experiences. Given the pervasive levels of mathematics anxiety, negative attitudes, and disengagement in mathematics education, we argue for a more contextualised…

This report focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kalamazoo Public Schools District in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which closed its doors to students from mid-March 2020 to June 2021. During this time, instruction transitioned from face-to-face to virtual, with students having three options for virtual instruction. In addition to individual KPS student…

Background: Over the last twenty years, retention has increased in popularity with policymakers who are concerned with student achievement and aim to end social promotion (i.e., the practice of advancing a student to the next grade level although they have not yet met the academic expectations of their current grade level). Despite calls to expand…

Purpose: Current in-school physical activity (PA) policies lack regulation, which testifies to the urgency of monitoring in-school moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). This study quantifies the demographical differences of in-school PA among elementary students. Methods: Fourth grade students wore accelerometers during school for 1 week. The teachers…

We examined to what extent subgroups of students identified with learning disabilities (LDs; N = 630) in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998 to 1999 (ECLS-K): 1998 national longitudinal study displayed heterogeneity in longitudinal profiles of reading and mathematics achievement from first to eighth grades.…

We examined the state of Arkansas, empirically testing how focusing on high-achieving students using state tests might expand the pool of gifted identified students. From a broader sample of 173,133 students, we compared the degree to which students who were academically talented in the top 5% on third-grade state literacy and math assessments…

This research brief examines the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student achievement and progress toward academic recovery. Using data from 6.7 million U.S. public school students currently in grades 3-8, the study examined academic gains in the 2022-23 school year relative to pre-pandemic years. It also tracked the gap in…

How do teachers account for homework-related inequalities? Our longitudinal ethnographic study reveals that, despite awareness of structural inequalities in their students' lives, elementary- and middle-school teachers' practices centered the myth of meritocracy. They treat struggles with math homework as products of students' and (particularly in…