The problem addressed by this study was that School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is not consistently being implemented with fidelity by special education teachers in urban high schools in California, which can have negative academic and behavioral impacts on students with disabilities. This qualitative descriptive…

Increasingly, student trust occurs in more varied school environments. The empirical research on school trust has primarily examined faculty trust in students, families, leadership, and colleagues. Few studies have investigated how student trust is characterized and manifests from student perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted…

Online platforms are increasingly the main point of contact between schools and students, families, and the community. In this article, we present a framework, called "Flipping the Script," that we developed while researching how students, teachers, and families were portrayed on school websites. Based on a systematic analysis of nearly…

Grades are perhaps the most widely used and universally accepted representation of a student's academic achievement. More importantly, they can be a vehicle to higher education, specialty programs, and access to highly competitive scholarship dollars. Given the wide disparity of grading practices from teacher to teacher and from district to…

This study examines the impact of a polytechnic high school model designed in collaboration with a research-intensive university and industry/community partners. Aimed at urban settings and focused on minoritized youth, this model replaces traditional subject-specific classes with industry-driven design project cycles. As design-based integrated…

This qualitative, multiple case study explored educators' perceptions and measurements of success and approaches utilized in maximizing learner potential at three different Minnesota alternative learning program sites. Sites included Greater Minnesota, suburban, and urban settings. Methods involved eight one-on-one participant interviews, one…

Schools in urban neighborhoods receive less funding, have less programming, and have poorer infrastructure. Such disparities may impede academic outcomes among youth. This study used publicly available data to examine the association between school characteristics and surrounding neighborhood environment on educational outcomes across three…

The myth of "tough love" leadership emerges in cultural narratives as a superior approach to improving students' educational opportunities in urban schools facing challenging circumstances. This model, however, has not been conceptualized, and consequently, empirical research about it is lacking. We formulated a typology of tough love…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide concrete examples of what leadership behaviors and strategies look like in high-poverty urban schools in Chicago that are successful at improving student outcomes. We compared the strategies used by principals who were rated by their teachers on annual surveys as being strong instructional leaders…

This study examined student, parent, and faculty perceptions of academic development needs and related comprehensive school counseling program services from four urban middle and high schools. Participants (n = 1,032) completed a survey designed to assist schools in planning and evaluating their career and college readiness programs, and exploring…

The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto research study was to determine if restorative practices, an alternative approach to traditional discipline, reduced behavior incidents, promoted student academic achievement, and increased attendance for African American male high school students. This study involved a targeted population of 730…

Historically, low-income Catholic secondary schools have provided opportunities for underrepresented students to receive quality education and matriculate to community college and four-year universities. This trend continues today, yet for schools like one in this study who identify as college preparatory schools, what happens to students once…

This data point report investigates the relationship between various education goals, chosen as important by public school principals, by different community types and school levels. The most frequently selected goals are discussed in this report, and data on all 10 goals are available in the supplementary tables.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight from parents and guardians about their experiences of involvement in the education of their high school aged children. Data were gathered using interviews for nine randomly selected participants from an urban high school in Alberta, Canada. Thematic analysis identified the types of activities parents…

The need for schools to produce graduates ready to meet increasing workforce demands and postsecondary admission requirements has called for more individualized career and academic planning with high school students. School counselors have a unique yet complex role in providing college and career guidance, monitoring, and opportunities. This study…