The capacity for growth and development is an integral part of being human. Infant social-emotional development is critically important to overall development and begins in the first months of life. These processes encompass how we relate to ourselves and others in our everyday lives (Malti & Cheah, 2021). Social-emotional development includes…

The host of the internationally popular early childhood podcast "That Early Childhood Nerd" provides a framework for understanding the importance of free play. Free play is disappearing from the lives of too many young children, leaving them vulnerable to negative effects on their physical and mental health, social and emotional growth,…

In the last 15 years, mindfulness programs have become more popular in schools. However, bringing mindfulness into schools involves more than selecting a curriculum. It entails creating the conditions for mindfulness that requires a particular kind of leadership: the capacity to lead for and with mindfulness. Authors Deborah L. Schussler, Karen…

Sport plays a crucial role in personal and collective development, reflecting core values and serving as a platform for holistic growth. As athletics, especially intercollegiate sports, face increasing pressures and challenges, the need for leadership training and character development has become more critical than ever. This article emphasizes…

Children with complex congenital heart defects often show delays and deficits in cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional functioning. As such, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Associated recommend ongoing monitoring and support of development. In conjunction with the formal therapeutic supports frequently…

In the post-pandemic learning era, communication faculty experience tensions among expectations for flexibility, sensitivity to students' well-being, and our commitment to the academic rigor of our courses. These tensions, we argue, may be resolved through offering academic (re)socialization as a stand-alone element of the communication…

This article presents three cases of school districts/consortia in a southeastern state, where standardized measures focused on teacher/child interactions rather than student outcomes were implemented to guide decision-making. These three districts/consortia were funded annually for three years to implement innovative professional development…

Risky play helps children build resilience, develop prosocial skills, and support lifelong physical, mental, and emotional well-being. However, societal overemphasis on safety often limits schools' willingness to embrace risky play. Educators' beliefs about risk, lack of training, and restrictive school policies further reduce opportunities for…

As the demand for opportunities to learn English grows throughout the world, parents and educators are looking for innovative ways to engage students in English-learning opportunities. Perhaps your school or municipality will seek to initiate an English Camp to be on trend with this growing need. Or perhaps, like many go-getter teachers, you wish…

Language, literacy, and social-emotional skills are important for successful participation in society. These skills develop through interaction with others and through explicit instruction. An important activity to contribute to the development of these skills in young children is shared storybook reading. For deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH)…

This article provides an overview of the research method meta-analysis as a tool for general music advocacy. "Why music education?" is framed as underlying advocacy efforts, noting a historical duality between musical outcomes and nonmusical outcomes. A vignette is provided to show how meta-analyses were used to impact legislation on…

Young adolescents undergo rapid physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and sexual development, including puberty, sexual awareness, gender identity, physiological brain and cognitive growth, complex emotions, and impulse control. Tragically, thousands of adolescents die daily from mostly preventable causes such as violence, sexual health problems…

The development of social and emotional learning in children can directly impact overall learning, emotional skills, and socialization of young children (The Urban Child Institute, 2024). Equal emphasis on social and emotional learning should mirror the importance and impact of academic learning. A philosophy of integrated social and emotional…

The Peterson Proactive Developmental Attention model (PPDA) offers a framework for understanding and addressing social and emotional concerns of high-ability students. This manuscript focuses on the developmental component, with emphasis on academic underachievement, with explanations and guidance for applying the developmental aspect of the PPDA…

The value of sustaining an open and positive classroom climate for student's academic and socio-emotional development is well documented in educational research. Referring to the prevailing mood or atmosphere of the classroom, the concept is meant to capture the day-to-day experiences of teachers and students on a collective rather than individual…