Background: To identify contextually-relevant strategies for reducing and eventually eliminating addiction, it is imperative to engage stakeholders that are most affected by drug abuse but typically left out of the conversation, such as adolescents. Aim: The aim of this study was to collaborate with 45 adolescent stakeholders participating in a…

In this study, we aimed to understand the role of place in how young people come to understand civic life. We implemented and studied an action civics curriculum at two sites to explore the connections between place and youth civic identity. We found that (1) place informs students' conceptualizations of community responsibility and collective…

The aim of this paper is to explore high school students' critical consciousness development in the context of youth participatory action research (YPAR) focused on food security at an alternative school in Alabama. The YPAR project took place in an elective agriscience class with 10 students (Seven Black, two white, one Latino) who were in the…

In this article, the authors argue that curriculum needs to change, bringing school knowledge into greater proximity to community 'problems that matter' (PTMs) and gathering students, community members, teachers and academics with relevant knowledge to work on the problem. Illustrating this orientation through a collaborative project in a local…

A theoretical framework grounded in constructionism and pragmatism theories supported research on learning by doing. This framework underpinned the purpose of this qualitative case study to explore how K-8 STEM teachers facilitated projects utilizing innovative technologies to solve community-based problems. The problem was a lack of connection…

The research into the environmental education competency of secondary school teachers was conducted using mixed research methods. The data were collected using the questionnaire and the structured interview. The teachers of eco-schools completed the questionnaire and teacher advisors as well as mentor teachers of the eco-school project…

This project explores 'meaningful' student voice development in an evaluation of project-based Character lessons taught by teachers and students. In the context of a secondary school in a deprived urban ward, within a Multi-Academy Trust using value-based instruction, this evaluation is grounded in the notion that student empowerment is essential…

Years of developmental psychology research links traumatic experiences to long-term student externalizing problems (Bingenheimer et al. 2005; Denese & McEwen, 2012; Osofsky 1999; Pynoos et al. 1987; Raver, Blair & Willoughby, 2013; Shonkoff et al., 2012). A related body of work relates negative life outcomes with exposure to high-poverty,…

In March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States. Every part of America has been affected while its existing inequities have been both highlighted and worsened. Millions of families lost income as parents, especially those of color and those employed in low-paying industries, lost their jobs. By May 2020, one in three children…

Using data from 223 Latino adolescents residing in poor, urban neighborhoods, we investigate whether spirituality, religious importance at home, and religious involvement moderate the relation between community violence exposure and psychological well-being. Results showed significant interaction effects between community violence exposure and…

This research examines the factors that shape high school students' experiences with an action civics program--"Project Soapbox"--that fosters democratic and social-emotional learning. Drawing on pre- and postsurveys with 204 students, classroom observations, teacher interviews, student work samples, and student focus group interviews,…

Youth involved in 4-H projects have been engaged in science-related endeavors for years. Since 2006, 4-H has invested considerable resources in the advancement of science learning. The new Minnesota 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge program challenges 4-H youth to work together to identify agriculture-related issues in their communities and to…

Schools in underserved districts experience pressure to improve achievement outcomes, trapping curricula, teachers, and students in a skills-driven literacy framework, repeatedly reinscribing a racist pedagogy. Although the research community recommends resisting skills-based literacy, researchers often neglect to commit to a research-practice…

Community change approaches have increasingly involved participatory practices in which community members directly impacted by an issue participate in implementing change efforts. However, community participation as a practice and approach does not always include youth participation. Within the field of youth organizing, young people are…

This article explores the difficulties immigrant students face in achieving civic participation and a democratic life through the stories of two ninth- grade English classes in which all students participate in an inside-out approach to community-based writing for action.