For social and emotional learning (SEL) to be most effective, students must consistently access social and emotional knowledge and apply SEL skills across time and context. This article presents the Framework for the Pedagogies of SEL, which aims to theoretically articulate how teachers can support effective student SEL. We present an overview of…

In 2010, the National Institute of Mental Health launched the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). The RDoC seeks to enhance research on the "active ingredients" of mental health concerns, and conceptualizes these concerns as disorders of neural circuitry. A key focus of the RDoC involves understanding mental health across biopsychosocial…

Interest in the study of gene-environment interaction has recently grown due to the sudden availability of molecular genetic data--in particular, polygenic scores--in many long-running longitudinal studies. Identifying and estimating statistical interactions comes with several analytic and inferential challenges; these challenges are heightened…

This paper examines the genetic ("nature") and environmental ("nurture") influences on why students vary in their reading skills. We review core findings from the field of modern behavioral genetics, a discipline that studies the interplay of genetic and environmental influences, on reading science. Additionally, we provide an…

Recent genetic discoveries offer a new lens through which to study cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social processes that are foundational to children's development. In this article, we review the latest advances in genomics--genome-wide association studies and the polygenic scores that have come out of them--and discuss how these techniques…

Computer-based learning technologies are now being used worldwide, but are mostly researched in a small number of countries and contexts. Increasing research suggests that modifications are needed to make computer-based learning responsive for all students worldwide. In this article for the inaugural special issue of Computer-Based Learning in…

The authors' aim in this article is to stimulate thinking and a new generation of scholarship on how compassion develops over the life span and may be cultivated to improve individual and societal health, well-being, and interpersonal relationships. The authors discuss conceptualizations of compassion, overview research on the development of…

To be ready to learn, children need to be focused, engaged, and able to bounce back from setbacks. However, many children come to school with heightened or diminished physiological arousal due to exposure to poverty-related risks. While stress physiology plays a role in explaining how adversity relates to processes that support students' cognitive…

Schools have a considerable influence on children's development, both through proximal factors such as teachers and curriculum, but also through indirect effects of school policies. While some policies and programs have the potential to increase stress and burden on students, educators, as well as the broader educational context, several programs…

This article addresses some of the key considerations and complexities associated with intervening to address social competence and peer relationships of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in middle and high school settings. First, we provide a brief overview of the social context during adolescence for all students. Next, we…