Despite a rise in the observed prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children, few estimates exist of the share of US outpatient mental health treatment facilities that provide services for children with autism spectrum disorder. We identified key facility- and county-level characteristics in offering mental health care for children with…

This study examined how high school course-taking patterns (i.e., career and technical education [CTE] vs. academic vs. no concentration), personal characteristics embedded in a social cognitive theory framework (e.g., self-efficacy, academic expectations), and contextual variables (e.g., parental expectations, socioeconomic status [SES]) interact…

The current study investigated candidate predictors of performance on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) special education teacher portfolio at a rural university in the southeastern region of the United States. As educator preparation programs across the United States continue to grapple with common standards for licensure,…

In this article, we begin by taking stock of broad trends related to gender and mathematics, focusing primarily on patterns within the United States and considering how these patterns may vary by social class and race. This article is not a traditional, empirical piece but instead pulls together evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies…

Limited research attention has been devoted to disparate vulnerabilities to social-ecological risk factors and how these may explain group differences in bullying by race. To address this gap, the present study used data of early adolescent respondents (M[subscript age] = 11.2 years) from 36 public middle schools (N = 2701) to assess the nexus of…

Violence--including issues of bullying--in urban schools across the United States is a persistent phenomenon, and continues to be of utmost concern for school administrators, community leaders, students, and their families. Using propensity score matching, we examined the relationship between school type--a magnet career academy and a traditional,…

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the educational experiences of diverse student populations throughout the country and among Virginia public schools. English Learners (ELs) had a unique set of needs and services prior to the pandemic, and potentially were more vulnerable to pandemic-related disruptions in typical school operations than other student…

Despite the existent gender parity in undergraduate biology degree attainment, gendered differences in outcomes are prevalent in introductory biology courses. Less is known about whether these disparities persist at the upper-division level, after most attrition is assumed to have occurred. Here, we report the consistent presence of gender equity…

School-age children with overweight or obesity continue to be problematic in the United States, and are associated with many health, social, and financial problems. Schools provide an excellent venue in which to promote healthy weight in students, and school nurses are well-positioned to play an essential role in controlling obesity. The number of…

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…

Background: Socioeconomic gaps in children's academic and social skills are large upon Kindergarten entry (von Hippel, Workman, and Downey 2018; Reardon 2011; Reardon and Portilla 2016). Preschool programs may yield particularly large benefits to low-income students and racially minoritized groups and may be promising for reducing inequalities…

Adolescent health has a significant influence as individuals transition to adulthood and can have lifelong effects on well-being. In addition to well-established structural determinants of health such as racism and poverty, proximal determinants of adolescent health illuminate on the health effects of the daily circumstances of adolescents. Guided…

This study aims to explore the association between teacher absenteeism and student achievement. Specificially, this study aims to determine if an association exists between teacher absenteeism and elementary student reading growth and achievement. Further, it seeks to identify student and teacher factors that impact teacher absenteeism, including…

Academic achievement in American high schools is increasingly defined in terms of quantifiable values. Despite being designed to produce favorable data, explicit standardized-test preparation has an insignificant impact on scores and is counterproductive to the cultivation of attributes necessary for success in higher education and effective civic…

Taking at least one arts course in high school has been linked to higher school engagement as well as other positive cognitive, behavioral and social outcomes. Many states and local education agencies require arts credits for high school graduation. In 2013, 25 states required that high school students must have completed at least 0.5 credits in…