"Middle School Today" is clustered into major themes: adolescent development and identity, the adolescent learner, curriculum and instruction, and the contemporary middle school. The book describes the components related to adolescent development starting with simple principles from psychology regarding the physical, cognitive, and…

During the 2020 pandemic, global governments imposed COVID-19 restrictions. Among the restrictions were K-12 school closures, which caused an abrupt change from in-person to virtual learning. These circumstances damaged students' mental health even after constraints were lifted. The problem was the socio-emotional learning (SEL) deficiency…

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is the zeitgeist for educational leaders in the contemporary world. Studies have determined that when implemented with fidelity, SEL skills aid school leaders in enhancing cooperation, reducing violence, and aid students in building their problem-solving skills, thus boosting academic achievement as a whole, while…

Supporting Indigenous students' social-emotional learning (SEL) is important given the systemic impact of colonialism that has contributed to their higher mental health and academic disparities compared to White students. One way to promote SEL is through professional development for educators, yet there has been little research on the development…

We explore discourses about social emotional learning (SEL) and trauma-informed practices (TIP) as school interventions in response to resistance from students and guardians. We analyze an illustrative example and one data source that casts light on the deficit impact of SEL and TIP discourses on both teacher/school practices and children and…

Trauma-informed school practices are interventions intended to mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences that hinder students' abilities to learn and experience success in school settings. This quantitative comparative study aimed to examine archival data on the impact of trauma-informed school practices on middle school students' grade point…

Trauma, including abandonment, neglect, poverty, or abuse, affects students. Because of this, a classroom community is vulnerable to the sheer unpredictability of behaviors. Students who have experienced trauma need support in order to create a classroom community where they can thrive and learn. This study examines a Whole-Child Approach…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have contributed to the drastic rise in student behavior referrals for ninth grade students in three high schools in Western New York when returning to in-person instruction after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From an equity lens, each of our schools' data showed that there was…

In schools, a Code Red alert indicates a potential or immediate threat within a building or on a campus and is the signal for a full-scale lockdown of all classrooms. This book, "Code Red: Conversations and Solutions for an Educational System in Crisis," presents a variety of voices from teachers, administrators, teacher preparation…

Annually, the Department of Education (Department) collects data from school districts across the state on disciplinary infractions and their consequences. These data are analyzed in a state-level report developed by the Department for the Governor and the Legislature to fulfill the requirements of the "Public School Safety Law N.J.S.A."…