Outdoor education fosters student well-being, development and learning. However, many schools restrict outdoor experience to their own playground, and to times considered recess. This case study, which examined student and teacher perceptions about the outdoor experience on traditional playgrounds, was conducted in an urban school in the Basque…

The multifaceted nature of peer social status entails personal benefits and potential detrimental effects that are particularly relevant to adolescents, as they place a higher emphasis on popularity and being well-liked compared to other stages of development. The study examined adolescents' motivational constructs related to gaining or changing…

This paper documents the hopes, desires and structural betrayals experienced by young people attending transfer schools in New York City. Transfer schools enroll more than 15,000 students each year who are disproportionately young people of color, poor and working-class youth, from immigrant families, and youth with disabilities. Most have fallen…

This dissertation examines the relationship between teacher retention and student perceptions of school climate in an urban school district, both in individual school years and across multiple school years. This secondary analysis uses a school-level measure of teacher retention from New York City (NYC) public schools and measures of school…

This case study of an inclusive classroom examined neurotypical (NT) children's perspectives on their relationships with their classmates with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data were collected through observations and interviews. Findings showed that social relationships between NT children and their classmates with ASD in integrated classrooms…

Objective: Colleges are potential hotspots for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 due to lower immunization rates and possible close contacts among young adults. Some universities have implemented policies mandating COVID-19 vaccination; however, their effects remain uncertain. We estimated COVID-19 vaccination rates with and without university-mandated…

This study examines the effects of a short-term intensive out-of-area urban field experience on undergraduate pre-service teachers' perceptions of teaching in urban schools. During the experience, participants read scholarly literature, participated in dialogue circles, taught in an urban elementary classroom, conducted a community mapping…

School climate is theoretically important for the academic achievement of students in urban schools because safety and support at school may compensate for negative structural forces experienced elsewhere. There is strong evidence for an association between school climate and student achievement, but little suggests the association's…

Objective: Food insecurity is a growing concern to the health and wellbeing of college students. This study aims to examine the lived experiences of students at-risk of food insecurity and associated challenges in a public urban campus. Participants: The study recruited 21 college students at risk of food insecurity using purposive sampling.…

Although lockdown drills are a practice widely used in K-12 public schools across the United States to prepare students and staff to respond to acts of violence, research has only just begun to consider the impacts of these practices on those who participate in them. This study adds to the growing body of literature by examining the potential…

Students in large cities across the United States can better understand agriculture through their involvement in School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE). Since the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, Agricultural Education has been a pathway that encourages students to continue schooling and connect with future careers. We conducted a…

Objectives: As food insecurity among college students in the United States continues to rise, large quantities of food are wasted on college campuses. This paper presents a simple, low-cost approach to address both issues, using an electronic learning management system to connect college students with good quality excess food. Participants:…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of student perceptions of the classroom motivational climate on engagement and academic achievement in secondary STEM courses. Additionally, the mediating effect of students' ease of the course perceptions on the relationship between engagement and academic achievement was assessed. By better…

As the COVID-19 pandemic transformed higher education, St. John's University (New York), among other academic institutions, worked to incorporate methodologies that would allow for social distancing and the attainment of hands-on experience that is expected of a science laboratory course. To account for the constraints that the pandemic posed, St.…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate how general and special educators' attitudes, efficacy, and collaboration promote co-teaching relationships that benefit exceptional students in urban middle schools. The impacts of co-teaching on the attitudes, efficacy, and collaboration of secondary teachers were explored. A…