There has been an increasing number of students being referred to mental health services due to behavioral problems they exhibit at school. Behavioral and social concerns impede academic success for the individual child as well as their classroom peers. Many factors can contribute to challenging behaviors in early childhood students within rural…

Motivation to learn is a necessary factor to benefit education. However, only some students are motivated to learn. Some students are extrinsically motivated through physical rewards or prizes, which are temporary. Other students are intrinsically motivated through different factors such as curiosity, recognition, competence, and relatedness,…

Approximately 20% of students repeatedly display challenging classroom behaviors (e.g., off-task, disruptive behavior). Students exhibiting challenging classroom behaviors have difficulties achieving academic success and may indirectly harm the learning of classroom peers. Self-management interventions targeted a range of classroom behaviors…

Over the last 25 years, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers have consistently recognized the need for a comprehensive approach to school safety. However, identifying the key components of a comprehensive approach and the ideal way to balance and implement those components has proved challenging. To address this challenge, the National…

School disciplinary climate influences student outcomes. As a result, examining differences in principals' perceptions of disciplinary climate within and across countries and regions may shed some light on decreasing achievement gaps. The quantitative study examined how principals from different geographical locations perceive school disciplinary…

We study the peer effects of grade retention in the context of Indiana's statewide third-grade retention policy. When a retention occurs, it changes the peer group for two cohorts: rising fourth graders who lose a peer and rising third graders who gain a peer. We identify peer effects in both cohorts by leveraging plausibly exogenous variation in…

Background: Parental involvement is an important multi-faceted factor in children's academic performance and school behaviour. However, most prior studies have involved cross-sectional designs, with few studies exploring the co-developmental nature of various parental involvement characteristics over time and their associations with children's…

Disruptive behavior in a classroom setting has the potential to interrupt the learning for all of the students within that classroom setting. As the volume of this behavior increases, teachers are required to spend more time managing behaviors instead of implementing quality instructional practices. Interdependent group contingencies are an…

Household Food Insecurity (HFI) is a frequent challenge for children living in poverty that impacts social, emotional, and behavioral development. Federally assisted meal programs, such as the National School Breakfast Program, address HFI for students living in poverty through free or reduced-price breakfast. However, there are challenges for…

Time has come for parents to be more involved than ever with children's educational lives. Teachers need the support at home and school to produce citizens that can work, play, and survive in the environment. When parents are involved in children's education, there is accountability that lies with each student. Grades and attendance are usually…

Many schools use exclusionary discipline--such as suspensions and expulsions--to deter students from misbehaving and to protect students from the harms associated with exposure to student misbehavior. Research indicates that, while often implemented with good intentions, exclusionary discipline increases (rather than deters) misbehavior and risks…

The ubiquitous nature of smartphones has led to the emergence of addictive behaviors and new psychosocial disorders, almost overtaking the merits they provide. Within the relevant literature, the misuse of smartphones is purported to turn into a strong addiction, thus culminating in hopelessness and a reduction in life satisfaction. Another…

Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Its Impact on Student Academic Achievement in Elementary Schools" investigates the gap in understanding how elementary teachers perceive PBIS's effectiveness in boosting student academic performance amidst behavioral challenges. This phenomenological…

This one-year longitudinal study examined the moderating effect of perceived social support from school-based Gay-Straight Alliances in the associations between homophobic cyberbullying involvement (i.e., victimization, bystanding) and academic outcomes (e.g., classroom misconduct, school readiness, academic performance, absenteeism, school…

Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs are a popular tool used in schools to increase children's competencies across multiple domains, including emotion knowledge and social interaction. Children with appropriate social-emotional skills tend to experience more positive peer relationships, fewer problem behaviors, and improvements in school…