"Pathways to Implementation" highlights innovative strategies and effective models in career pathways policy, implementation, and programming, as well as challenges states encounter in this work. This seven-part series addresses the key elements of Bellwether's framework for career pathways policy implementation. Each brief defines the…

A popular alternative disciplinary framework from zero-tolerance school policies is restorative justice, which refers to a set of ideologies and practices that emphasize healing relationships in lieu of community exclusion. This work investigates the differences between ideological support for restorative approaches compared to program…

The implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been attributed to a decrease in office discipline referrals (ODRs) and suspensions and to increase academic performance, and engagement, as well as staff, family, and student perceptions of a safe and positive school climate. High schools have had more significant…

Background: The National Federation of State High School Associations provides recommendations regarding health and safety policies; however, policy development is governed at the state level. Given interstate differences in governance, the primary purpose was to describe processes that State High School Athletic Associations (SHSAAs) utilize to…

SAE for All was adopted by the National Council for Ag Education in 2015 and North Carolina launched the model through statewide professional development in 2019. As part of a larger study on implementation, this 2022 qualitative study sought to understand the barriers teachers were facing in implementing the SAE for All model and sought to…

Bilingual education has been a political topic in the U.S. for years but lacks concrete legislation about compulsory learning to promote biliteracy and bilingualism. The Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) is an optional award for public high school seniors demonstrating mastery in English and an additional language. Many changes must be made to ensure that…

Studies have been conducted for decades on the impact that restorative practices can have on student discipline systems in an educational context, along with the challenges of implementation (Dhaliwal et al, 2023; Marsh, 2017; Blood, 2005; Wearmouth et al, 2007; Drewery, 2016; Jones, 2021, Guckenburg et al, 2015). However, these studies have not…

"Pathways to Implementation" highlights innovative strategies and effective models in career pathways policy, implementation, and programming, as well as challenges states encounter in this work. This seven-part series addresses the key elements of Bellwether's framework for career pathways policy implementation. Each brief defines the…

Grades are the universal tool for measuring students' performance at school. However, other competency-based evaluation methods have shown to have a stronger impact on the learning quality. We investigated how different methods are collectively represented and discursively constructed among students at an Italian high school class. Thematic…

This study investigated the preliminary steps of high school administrators before implementing an effective character education program to achieve the National School of Character distinction. There is limited existing literature on character education in high schools. The researchers interviewed 12 current and former high school administrators…

Previous research has demonstrated a need for contextual fit when implementing behavior supports in high schools (Flannery et al., "The High School Journal," 96(4), 267-282, 2013; Flannery & Kato, "Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth," 61(1), 69-79, 2017). As high schools move beyond the…

Following high school exit, many autistic young adults are not enrolled in post-secondary education or employed, and few are engaged in community activities. This disengagement among autistic young adults may be a result of the limited or inadequate supports provided to autistic transition-age youth in schools. Therefore, the purpose of the…

This study evaluated the implementation and impact of the School of Interactive Arts (SIA), a scalable, in-class instructional model designed to introduce high school students to computer science and video game design through a virtual platform called Ghost School. Conducted in New York City Department of Education public high schools, the study…

American Samoa, a U.S. territory, has grappled with low reading scores similar to other mainland schools. As a result, different reading interventions were implemented over the years. The problem studied was that despite using Achieve 3000 as a reading intervention for students in the local high school in American Samoa, reading scores had…

Schools are ideal locations for youth to receive mental health and social-emotional programming. Despite the well-established need for school-based mental health programs, many schools do not offer these programs, and those that do often face implementation challenges that hinder the effectiveness of the programs. Peer-led programs may be an…