Even the least severe forms of exclusionary discipline are associated with detrimental effects for students that attend schools that overuse them. With a nationally representative longitudinal study of high school students, we utilize propensity score weighting to limit selection bias associated with schools that issue high numbers of in-school…

Long-term English Learners (LTELs) are the largest population of English learners (ELs) in secondary grades. In California, approximately 30 percent of these students are dual- identified, meaning they are identified as having a disability and being an EL, with a historical overrepresentation in the learning disability (LD) category. Despite the…

Using administrative data from an urban school district, two series of predictive models were tested for their ability to project a student's high school graduation status. The models included student grades, attendance, behavior, demographic predictors, and school-level variables. Eighth and ninth-grade variables were tested for two graduation…

Teachers of color increase school success for students of color. Yet, little attention has been paid to whether school attendance behaviors also increase from same race and ethnicity matches. To address this, our study used administrative data provided by a California high school district for the school years 2014 to 2018. We explored student…

This dissertation consists of three empirical studies that explore the educational experiences and trajectories of English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities. The first study uses longitudinal data from four large California school districts to examine the characteristics of long-term ELs (LTELs) and former ELs--those reclassified as…

Chronic absenteeism affects the majority of schools in the United States. An assessment of centers of learning illustrates that a majority of students miss a month of learning in an academic year through excused or unexcused absences. The majority of schools exhibit 95% average daily attendance rates, as the learners tend to not miss school, on…

In the American K-12 educational system, school transitions are frequent and predictable--typically occurring when students enter kindergarten and when they move from elementary to middle school and again from middle to high school. Although much is known about the short- and long-term implications for the transition to formal K-12 schooling and…

Objective: The use of illicit drugs by adolescents is a widespread problem in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to identify risk and protective factors. Design: Web-based survey of high school students. Setting: Senior high schools and vocational high schools in northern Taiwan. Method: Survey data were collected from 15,754 students. Logistic…

Ninth grade is a critical juncture for students--and can be a jarring transition. Even students a strong track record in the middle grades can experience academic difficulty, and those who enter high school with poor course grades, weak attendance, or behavior problems are especially at risk. An early misstep can have lasting implications:…

In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to the number of adolescents experiencing extended absences from school due to mental health crises. Upon returning to school, these students often face difficulties in functioning, risk of relapse, and vulnerability to academic failure and social isolation. This paper presents results of a…

High school course grades are a primary source of information about students' academic readiness, yet they are often viewed as inconsistent measures of student achievement-- influenced by idiosyncratic practices across schools and teachers, systematic differences in course content and structure, compositional effects of peers, and student…

This article is situated at the intersection of two trends in education research: a growing emphasis on the importance of co-cognitive traits and the emergence of research-practice partnerships to more effectively scale effective practices. Our partnership focused on building student ownership and responsibility for their learning, which means…

This article is situated at the intersection of two trends in education research: a growing emphasis on the importance of co-cognitive traits and the emergence of research-practice partnerships to more effectively scale effective practices. Our partnership focused on building student ownership and responsibility for their learning, which means…

Critics of school disciplinary policies have long noted that African American, male, low-achieving, and special education students experience higher rates of school suspensions and expulsions. However, research that seeks to estimate the effects of suspensions on student outcomes rarely accounts for the preexisting differences that distinguish…

This study identified peak periods of the onset, prevalence, and correlates of early adolescent substance use, and evaluated the feasibility of implementing a brief student survey at a high school in the southeastern United States. A brief survey was self-administered and 791 students with a mean age of 16.2 years (SD = 1.24) provided complete…