The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine (1) the relationship between teachers' perceived cultural competence and the perceived implementation of culturally responsive Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices, conditional on teachers' race, and (2) the relationship between teachers' perceived implementation of culturally responsive…

This study leveraged data from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (N = 243) to investigate the predictive significance of maternal sensitivity during the first 3 years of life for social and academic competence through age 32 years. Structural model comparisons replicated previous findings that early maternal sensitivity…

This qualitative study focused on observed and perceived changes in academic and personal attitudes and behaviors by student participants in the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program at the University of Minnesota (UMN). The PAL model employs best practices from national peer learning models including Supplemental Instruction, Peer-led Team…

This study examined the unique longitudinal effects linking academic competence, social competence, and internalizing symptoms from childhood to adulthood. A multimethod and multi-informant approach was used to assess psychopathology and competence in 205 participants during four developmental periods. Social competence in childhood had a…

"The major problems facing the world today can be solved only if we improve our understanding of human behavior" (Schlinger, 2005, pg. 48) and how it affects our educational experience in high school. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine to what extent there exists a relationship between social and academic study …

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the Division of Violence Prevention in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated to conduct a rigorous impact evaluation of programs aimed at improving students' behavior. For this evaluation, such programs were termed Social…

Cooperative learning can benefit all students, whether "average," low-achieving, gifted, or mainstreamed. Teachers trained at the University of Minnesota's Cooperative Learning Center expect to see students in small, heterogeneous groups using special skills and caring about each others' learning. Tips on cooperative spelling groups are…

Schools today are increasingly market driven, and public schools are competing for students with numerous other educational options. Homeschool education continues to grow rapidly as one such option. Minnesota, considered a leader in school choice, has experienced rapid growth in the incidence of home-educated children. Such growth raises…

Productive, frequent interactions, both teacher-student and student-student, are essential to the online course environment. Instructors are examining ways not only to foster these interactions but also to engage distance students in their local communities through experiential learning opportunities. Experiential education is a general term used…

Cargill Scholars is a comprehensive, five-year program that aims to improve students' scholastic performance by raising academic expectations, preventing high-risk behavior, and improving life skills. The program serves 50 socio-economically-disadvantaged children who attend school in Minneapolis or its northern and western suburbs. The program…