Chronic absenteeism is a critical predictor for student achievement and high school graduation rates and helps to identify at-risk students. It is a significant challenge in the NYC public school system, driving inequitable outcomes for marginalized students. Since 2014, NYC public schools have used the community school model as an equity…

Objective: In Denmark, more students smoke in vocational schools than in upper secondary schools. Smoking-prevention initiatives may reduce the prevalence of smoking but may also introduce unforeseen challenges. This study examined the significance of smoking and dilemmas related to smokefree school hours (SFSH) among established smokers in Danish…

Chronic absenteeism is a trending topic among educators, as federal and state accountability policies have emphasized the importance of students being in school. The problem addressed in this study is the high rates of chronic absenteeism in a particular urban Midwestern school district. The study explored administrators' perceptions of causes,…

Even though individuals now have increased access to higher education, first-generation college students (FGCS) remain disadvantaged. Without prior college exposure, experience, or a college-going family tradition, FGCS face challenges navigating higher education institutions which can lead to decreased college retention and completion rates.…

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California's cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on parenting students' experiences with housing.

Postsecondary institutions hold great potential to cultivate students' well-being. Yet many postsecondary students experience negative well-being and struggle to find socio-emotional support on campus. This study explores the interplay between students and postsecondary institutions regarding well-being and is informed by the following: (1) How do…

In this qualitative study, I worked with international students to understand how researchers can increase response rates to international student experience surveys. I explicitly framed international students as a potentially vulnerable and hard-to-reach population, and then considered barriers associated with vulnerable populations and research…

In this comparative case study of 22 student-mothers in Georgia and New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, we explore the role social capital plays in mitigating participants' challenges. Using Adler and Kwon's (2002) bridging versus bonding forms of capital, we argue participants turned to their internal, primarily women-comprised networks…

Children adopted from care become part of a hidden, but no less vulnerable, group in the education system and may be overlooked for allocation of additional support and guidance. Adoption is a relatively unique experience and adds layers of complexity, difference and vulnerability to young people's lives that are poorly understood and…

This paper considers the experiences of education for girls at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream secondary schools in England. The number of girls being permanently excluded from school is a growing issue, and data suggests that girls are being excluded at a percentage rate which exceeds boys, yet they have continued to receive…

The United States is facing a high school dropout crisis. One of the early warning indicators of high school dropout is chronic absenteeism. This mixed-methods, post-hoc, hermeneutic, descriptive design study seeks to investigate the reported and self-reported attendance barriers for overage, under-credited (OU), at-risk, urban high school youth…

Background & Aims: Students with developmental language disorder (DLD) often experience academic underachievement, and require adjustments and accommodations to access the curriculum. Teachers, allied health professionals and parents/caregivers have varying roles in the education process, and it is essential they work together to provide…

Educators can play a critical role in buffering LGBTQ youth from potential victimization. As such, the present study explored the following questions: 1) "What are the roles of educators" (i.e., teachers, school administrators) with respect to promoting and creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ youth"; 2) "what unique…

This study identified emergent themes from the interview data of at-risk-for-completion doctoral candidates (N = 13; 59%), from a diverse demographic, who participated in a successful dissertation completion intervention program. The findings revealed four major themes including extrinsic factors, socioemotional, formal structures of the program,…

Developmental language disorder (DLD) and dyslexia are common but under-identified conditions that affect children's ability to read and comprehend text. Universal screening is a promising solution for improving under-identification of DLD and dyslexia; however, we lack evidence for how to effectively implement and sustain screening procedures in…