The issue of school safety has been interrogated as school shootings have occurred multiple times each year in the United States. This devastating reality has captured the attention of many throughout the United States. School leaders have implemented strategies to increase school safety, including the creation of practices to deter shooting…

Purpose: Examine tobacco use on college campuses by assessing: (1) types of tobacco products used, (2) where they are most commonly used, and (3) the sociodemographic characteristics of students most likely to use on campus. Method: Participants were a convenience sample of 3,575 18- to 25-year-old enrolled in 14 Texas colleges during Spring 2021…

This annual report provides information for the 2022-23 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading language arts and…

Multi-level, place-based interventions have proven effective at promoting a range of health behaviors, including tobacco control and discouraging the uptake of tobacco products. This paper describes the implementation and impact of a 3-year, multi-level tobacco prevention and control program at a community-college minority-serving institution…

This study explores the issue of food insecurity within community colleges in Texas and highlights administrator's responses toward best and most promising practices and challenges in addressing food insecurity. The research was guided by complex adaptive systems theory and cynefin. Food insecurity among college students, especially community…

The well-being of special education teachers is paramount to ensuring a high-quality and sustainable education system for students with disabilities (Sawatske et al., 2024). The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore, in a large, southeast Texas school district, the perceptions of secondary special education teachers…

This study examines the civics education offered in Texas, looking first at the American history and government requirements at the state's top public universities. Texas's six public universities that rank highest in the U.S. News and World Report 2022 rankings have been selected: The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Texas A&M…

Background: Colleges across the country are adopting tobacco-free policies to prevent and decrease tobacco use among college-aged young adults. Aims: This study examines differences between nontobacco, single-product, and polytobacco users' perceptions of the importance of enforcing tobacco-free policies, support for various enforcement…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Safety." Contents include: (1) Students Demand Safe, Supportive Schools:…

The use of technologies in schools has grown over time along with the accessibility of technology tools. Unfortunately, educators have been reluctant to incorporate technology in their lessons, as they are more knowledgeable and comfortable with traditional teaching modalities (Daniels et al., 2013; Hyun et al., 2017; Tyler-Wood et al., 2018).…

Public school districts distribute school policy materials as an efficient method of informing parents and students about their rights and responsibilities. Public schools routinely publish that information to inform parents/guardians and students of expectations within the educational realm. That notification, or School Policy/Code of…

This qualitative case study was completed at a rural medium-sized Texas community college and sought to understand how advisors and program coordinators made sense of the 60X30TX policy as it was implemented at their institution. The theoretical framework included community college, the Completion Agenda, structure-agency, and sensemaking. Each…

Background: Federal law requires most school districts to develop school wellness policies (SWPs), which state agencies assist in by providing templates. Templates provide standard language, which districts may edit for numerous reasons. We aimed to identify the frequency/consistency of template usage and identify the types of edits districts make…

Immigration disparities are associated with strict school climates and juvenile justice. Place also matters concerning school strictness and disproportionate minority contact for minority youth. What remains unknown is the relationship between school strictness, immigration, and punishment along the Texas-Mexico border. Drawing from the Texas…

As many U.S. school administrators create policies around hair, many often neglect to consider racial differences, especially those pertaining to hair care and maintenance styles. News media outlets have recently highlighted the ways schools create and sustain racially biased policies and schooling environments, demonstrating the media's role in…