Participation in school sports has a variety of benefits for students. But not all students are able to participate in school athletics programs. In this column, Robert Kim explores the different levels of access suburban, urban, and rural students have to sports programs. And he considers whether students, regardless of where they live, have a…

A team of researchers wanted to learn whether AP teachers using a project-based learning (PBL) approach could develop students' deep learning of knowledge and skills while preparing them for their AP exams. They used a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the Knowledge in Action (KIA) project-based curricula for AP courses. KIA students…

There is a cultural mismatch between teachers and students in classrooms across the U.S. that, despite teachers' best intentions, too often leads to student harm. Mentors are uniquely positioned to interrupt conscious and unconscious bias that leads to inequitable practices but often have difficulty holding the necessary hard conversations. Among…

When parents push back against educators' comments or recommendations about their children, those parents may actually be reacting to a long history of negative interactions with schools. This is especially true when Black parents are interacting with white educators. Research has shown that teachers, who are predominately white, tend to…

Since 2003, nonprofit organization Common Sense Media has studied the ways in which kids are growing up in the digital age. In this interview, research director Michael Robb shares recent findings about the media habits of young children, tweens, and teens. While the news coverage of these issues tends to be hyperbolic and alarming, Robb explains,…

Finding and developing talented youth from low-income backgrounds is an ongoing challenge for U.S. gifted education policy. These students face strong headwinds, whereas advantaged students enjoy favorable tailwinds, and these factors accumulate throughout K-12, higher education, and beyond. Jonathan Wai and Frank C. Worrell explain how talented…

Bureaucracies are often perceived as inflexible, impersonal, hierarchical, and too devoted to rules and red tape. But David Labaree makes a case for these characteristics being a positive in the world of public education. U.S. schools are built within a liberal democratic system, where the liberal pursuit of self-interest is often in tension with…

A Pew Research Center analysis of 2018 Census Bureau data finds that post-Millennials (ages 6 to 21) are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation of Americans, and they are entering college at a higher rate than generations of the past. Their parents are more likely to have college degrees and have a higher median income than the…

Today, millions of teachers search online to locate ideas and activities for classroom use. While some may visit established curricular sites with vetted classroom materials, many others turn to online educational marketplaces such as TeachersPayTeachers. However, issues of quality on these sites remain in question -- particularly when it comes to…

Literature in the field of minority parent participation has focused on cultural differences and cultural mismatch as reasons for the difficulties that minority parents face in schools and has relied on a framework of cultural sensitivity in exploring the issues. Soyoung Lee proposes that the real issue underlying the dynamics between minority…

Homelessness among U.S. K-12 students has been on the rise for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to significant unemployment. Joseph Bishop describes findings from a study of student homelessness in California. Interviews with those experiencing homelessness and those who serve…

Teachers are assigned a multitude of responsibilities they do not want, for which they are poorly suited, and that disrupt their primary roles. One such responsibility is the obligation to serve as mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect. Joan Goodman reviews the history of this duty, its current parameters, the harmful…

What can educators do to help students care about their learning and become more invested in their own success? Chase Nordengren describes how a school district created a goal-setting culture in all classrooms at all grade levels. The district began with a complex, research-based, prescriptive program that teachers found did not work well with…

Drawing on nationally representative data from the 1988 to 2018 school years, the authors provide an overview of some of the key changes in the characteristics of first-year teachers in the U.S., including racial/ethnic identity, education levels, subject area, and certification status. The data also show that new teachers have become increasingly…

Full inclusion of students with disabilities focuses on where students are taught, not on instruction. The idea that all students, including those with disabilities, can and should be taught together in the same class and school is a highly prized myth. Focusing on inclusion rather than on appropriate instruction and on a continuum of alternative…