The current research examines an evidence-based program called Communities In Schools located in Texas that provides services to elementary students and teaches them how to navigate socially and emotionally through grief. Childhood experiences through losing a loved one can subsequently impact an elementary student's academic outcomes. However,…

This research examines the effects of Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) on elementary-aged students' social and emotional development. Public school systems are tasked with finding programs to help develop social and emotional skills in students to help promote overall success. This research provides insight into how PBIS can impact…

Social-emotional competencies (SEC) play a vital role in students' academic and social achievements. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are designed to equip students with these competencies to manage their daily stress and cope with academic and social challenges. Recently, published research studies have emphasized the significant…

Racial/ethnic and economic school segregation represent pervasive instantiations and perpetuators of educational inequity in the United States. Although the U.S. is becoming increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, schools are racially/ethnically isolated. Rising income and wealth inequity are also exacerbating economic school segregation.…

In 2020, the world was forced to adjust to a new normal with the global pandemic. Every nation had to make difficult decisions to protect citizens and save their economy. Leaders of all institutions had to strategize quickly for an unknown future. Many institutions suffered, including education. Social-emotional learning addresses students'…

To determine the impact of an administrator's decision on student placement in kindergarten classrooms, teachers were asked to share their perceptions on how that decision impacted their ability to deliver instruction and follow the district scope and sequence, as well as how that decision impacts student academic achievement and social and…

Significant socioeconomic disparities exist across the neighborhoods where children grow up today, which may exacerbate inequities in children's educational opportunities (Leventhal et al., 2015; Leventhal & Dupere, 2019; Mijs & Roe, 2021; Reardon et al., 2018). Prior research documents associations between neighborhood socioeconomic…

For decades, educational leadership researchers have focused on school leadership behaviors, competencies, and skills that impact student outcomes measured by the students' performance on standardized tests. This practice has narrowed the focus for how the field approaches teaching and learning and the evaluation models that measure school,…

Educators should be aware of efficient instructional strategies for students labeled as gifted to influence academic achievement and social-emotional growth positively. The problem was that a gap exists between achievement and the academic and social-emotional abilities of elementary students labeled as gifted. The purpose of this study is to…

Decades of research maintain that culturally relevant teaching (CRT) is a powerful methodology for understanding the obligation to teach minoritized students of color in authentic ways that acknowledge and honor them and the ethnic groups they represent, increase achievement and engagement of students representing diverse cultures, and reduce…

COVID-19 impacted students due to the rapid shift to online learning. In response to health and safety concerns, schools faced disruptions to the learning environment and ultimately needed to close in-person learning opportunities. Some students lacked social and emotional skill development when learning online and when returning to in-person…

Parental involvement (PI) in children's education is essential and significantly influences academic achievement, such as improved grades, academic motivation, and enhanced emotional and social development. With increasing demands on modern families, parents have different levels of PI. There was a gap in the literature on the lack of parents'…

The study explored teachers' perceptions of how district provided prekindergarten influences academic and social emotional school readiness for first grade students in a low socioeconomic school district in Southern Arkansas. Piaget's "Theory of Cognitive Development" and "Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development" were the…

The current study is the first repeated-measures design exploring the impact of child-centered play therapy (CCPT), an evidence-based child psychotherapy intervention, on autistic children's social-emotional assets, and emotional and behavioral problems across four times during intervention based on teacher reports. Participants consisted of 19…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how African American single mothers describe the efficacy and accessibility of afterschool enrichment programs for elementary school children from socio-economically challenged homes. This study will contribute to the gap in the literature with respect to African American single…