Moral education and moral growth are very important topics, and have been so as much in the fields of moral psychology and moral education as in the policies of governments and international institutions over the past decades. These two topics are also central themes within the educational proposal of Philosophy for Children (P4C), as seen in…

In the late 1990s, linguist Deborah Tannen argued that America had become an "argument culture" characterized by an adversarial frame of mind when approaching the world and the people in it. Recent events appear to have added apocalyptic fears (not entirely unfounded) to our adversarial approach. How can we talk to each other in such a…

The debate over public schools has become highly politicized, featuring movements dedicated to privatizing public schools and diminishing teacher professionalism. People who had long treasured their local public schools are now being told that our nation's schools are "failing," that we are not preparing children for "the global…

To improve student motivation, the authors propose a five-step process that entails learning about a motivation framework, identifying students' motivational challenges based on that framework, adopting interventions to address those challenges, and assessing the effectiveness of the interventions. In particular, they recommend adopting the…

Positive education can be broadly defined as the integration of traditional academics with building student character and well-being (Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009). More specifically, positive education examines the impact of interventions and programs on student well-being (White & Murray, 2015). Biennially, the…

Organizations around the world are challenged with managing complex decisions; however, many students do not have practical experience with the way in which these organizations go about this process. In this article, we outline an experiential case, based on a contemporary, real-world health policy challenge, which illustrates the ethical and…

This is the third special issue of "Primary Science," and it is one that offers primary school teachers an insight into an initiative that does wonders for primary science leadership, learning, and teaching -- the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). In this article, Elizabeth Nally shares her PSQM experience and what it has done for her…

Character education in schools is implemented using different approaches. The current practices related to character education, though, include educators implementing preplanned lessons and activities from published programs. Yet, these current practices have mixed reviews in large- and small-scale studies. The purpose of this article is to…

A year of COVID-19 quarantine required educators to switch from in-person to virtual learning platforms, causing a dramatic reimagining of their daily praxis. Their experiences are likely to influence new norms for K-12 education. While virtual learning can be effective, student engagement, student retention, and student attention can be…

In this article Andrew Bell describes how he developed science capital at his school by involving his class in a Family Science project. He finds that the Family Science project has many impacts including: (1) substantial increase in science activity at home; (2) interest in families in sourcing their own science activities; (3) parental interests…

This article explains a program design and planning process using the Value Creation Framework (VCF) developed by Wenger, Trayner, and de Laat (2011). The framework involves identifying types of value or benefit for those involved in the program, conditions and activities that support creation of that value, data that measure whether the value was…

The extent of how mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are seamlessly incorporated into the personal day-to-day life is not often considered by University instructors. Unfocused incorporation of mobile technologies into the classroom can de-emphasize intended learning objectives if students struggle to use the technology itself or by…

This article discusses the relationship between evidence-based practices (EBPs) and values in research and practice pertaining to people with severe disabilities. The importance of basing educational and habilitation practices on substantial scientific evidence for practical, moral, and legal reasons is acknowledged given the prevalence of…

Does the current drive to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) into the K-12 curriculum represent a positive reform that will lead schools to educate the "whole student" and ultimately boost young people's academic success? Or is it a distracting fad that comes with high opportunity costs? Common sense and considerable…

Historically, the knowledge, critical skills, and dispositions to be learned in educational foundations courses are explored within the confines of university classrooms, disconnected from the messy and complex realities in local public schools. Because the vast majority of university students in education courses are white and middle to…