This study examined the capacity and opportunity scores of 36 middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) on the student version of the "American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale" across three school engagement factors: grade point averages (GPA), school absences, and frequency of school…

Social promotion is an ongoing issue in education and is frequently seen as a dichotomy with retention. While retention is a commonly researched topic, the information regarding the academic and behavioral outcomes of socially promoted students is much sparser. The problem is that many students who are socially promoted into high school after…

High levels of school connectedness have been shown to be associated with positive outcomes for adolescents (e.g., higher levels of self-worth and higher test scores); however, the impact of school connectedness during early adolescence has not been studied in relation to school-related outcomes during later adolescence. The current study explores…

This mixed methods study design explored the contributing factors to chronic tardiness, tardy behavior, and the impact on the secondary student. School tardiness is a growing problem and has been on a steady upward trend, as reported by the U.S. Department of Education. Tardiness and tardy behavior are consistently influencing the educational…

Research studies of extracurricular activities have illustrated specific relationships between participation and certain student characteristics, such as higher grades, higher standardized test scores, higher attendance, fewer discipline issues, and increased positive school perception. Since so much of the previous research on extracurricular…

The transitional period between elementary and middle school remains an area of concern for educators. Many middle schools are plagued with retention issues, core class failures, increased discipline problems, and decreased attendance rates among students during their transitional period. The issues increase for students labeled as at-risk…

Universal measures of school functioning/impairment (i.e., grade point average, subject failures, absenteeism, disciplinary referrals/suspensions) were examined over the course of 1 school year for a cohort of 89 special education students classified as having emotional disturbance (ED) who were taught in a unique public school program. On average…