We conducted a document analysis study in response to a request from district-level gifted education specialists about additional services to support their gifted high school students. Given the fact that these students are diverse in many ways (e.g., readiness, interest areas, and backgrounds such as race, ethnicity, culture, gender identity, and…

"Steps to Schoolwide Success" makes a powerful case for the implementation of a school reform that bridges academic and social-emotional learning systems in high schools. Based on a multi-year project in Broward County, Florida, the book describes how the biggest difference in academic success from school to school was not in…

Current research around the middle grades has brought a heightened attention by teachers, policymakers, and researchers recognizing that this stage is a time when a students' health and social and emotional well-being directly impacts their academic progress. To date, school leaders and teachers have not been well served by explicit resources for…

The author offers practical strategies to introduce and maintain a mindfulness practice with middle-grade students and discusses ethical implications of employing mindfulness in the classroom.

An alternative way to approach outdoor education in PHE, while still reaping its numerous benefits, is nature-based physical activity (NBPA). NBPA refers to physical activities that are done in natural areas, require little specialized equipment, can be participated in by the majority of youth, are cost-efficient, and can be implemented by PHE…

Social skills training has become a major focus for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. Students with emotional and behavioral disorders often lack the social skills necessary to build and maintain positive relationships with others and require individualized training to appropriately engage across all settings. Despite the…

Establishing a student-centered classroom environment where learning puts students' interests first is essential for middle school students to learn and thrive. Student success does not simply rely on instruction; it relies on external factors such as school and classroom climate, positive relationships with their teachers and other adults, and a…

"Nurturing Students' Character" is an easy-to-use guide to incorporating social-emotional and character development (SECD) into your teaching practice. The links are clear--elementary and middle school students have better odds of academic success if you nurture their social and emotional skills. Drawing on broad field experience and the…

A grassroots understanding of well-being can be an effective approach to meeting the needs of children in low-resource settings. Due to this, evidence on how to sustain such approaches is needed. "Successful Pathways for the Well-Being of Black Students" addresses a long-standing need for a book that focuses more on strength over…

"Wholehearted Teaching of Gifted Young Women" explores the important role school communities play in supporting the social and emotional needs of high-achieving young women. Using a youth participatory action research model, this project follows 20 student researchers from high school through college. This longitudinal study leads to…

There has been much talk about the popularity of graphic novels in the classroom, and for good reason--the comic book industry is playing a significant role in popular culture. The characters and stories found in comic books and graphic novels are generating large revenues in the movie, video game, and toy industries. With the cultural influence…

This research synthesis is designed to help teachers and principals support equitable outcomes for all students. It suggests ways teachers, administrators, and school support personnel can use insights from research to create pre-K-12 schools and classrooms that advance educational equity. The synthesis brings together the UChicago Consortium's…

All classrooms are active social systems; the middle school classroom involves complex interactions between and among peers as well as between students and teachers. In the elementary years, attention is often given to nurturing students and fostering relationships, yet when young adolescents transition to the middle school, a focus on control and…

When Morris Dees was a young man in Alabama, the law said that black people couldn't drink from the same water fountain as white people, or sit at the same lunch counter. Back then, the government created and sanctioned divisions between human beings. The Civil Rights Movement changed all of that, of course, and ended state-mandated apartheid in…

Practical and engaging, this book contains 21 case studies that help students apply curriculum theory to classroom reality. Each case is authored by an in-service teacher, reflecting on ways to improve instruction by making changes to various aspects of the curriculum. These real-life examples investigate up-to-date curricular issues ranging from…