The problem addressed in this study was that students in upper elementary at four Title I elementary schools did not meet district achievement standards in science for four consecutive years, which could impede their educational and employment futures. Little is known how teachers in these elementary grades taught science content to improve…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve the student learning experience by understanding how Grades 4 & 5 educators in a Title 1 suburban-urban school district perceive, comprehend, and apply the CASEL framework for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to improve learner motivation and academic achievement. Using…

Learner diversity should be understood beyond the aspects of race, culture and gender. Learner-centred practices have been highly acclaimed as practical tools to meet learner needs in diverse classrooms. The purpose of this research is to determine whether mathematics teachers can employ assessment to monitor and encourage learner diversity in…

Background: A mismatch between organizational priorities and system-level policies can negatively impact implementation and sustainment of classroom-based physical activity (PA) interventions. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) present methods to systematically identify organization- and system-level implementation barriers, and (2) align…

Black and Latinx students, along with those in special education programs, are suspended and expelled at rates higher than their peers. Exclusionary discipline can lead to poor academic performance, high dropout rates, and incarceration. Restorative practices (RP) promote a positive school culture, reduce punitive discipline, and build strong…

Gender disparity in education is a perpetually compelling issue. It is especially attention-grabbing in economically disadvantaged areas, as it may reinforce backwardness on top of economic vulnerability. Underpinned by the self-determination theory, this study examined the underlying mechanisms that gave rise to gender differences in the academic…

The COVID-19 global pandemic caused a sudden shift from in-person instruction to virtual learning for fifth-grade teachers and students in Title 1 elementary schools. Through professional development opportunities, fifth-grade teachers had to adjust instructional practices to facilitate virtual learning and adopt and embrace new teaching methods…

A Title I elementary school in New York City faced a challenge in supporting students in Grade 3 to Grade 5 who did not meet state proficiency standards in mathematics. The student body of approximately 300 was 80% Black and Brown students, with 40% of students identified as English language learners or students with disabilities. The assistant…

The Learning Team at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa received funding in 2014 to create and conduct a long-term outdoor learning experience for Hillsborough County, Florida, fifth-grade students. The program was designed with four parts to optimize students' experiences in their local watershed, including both classroom and field activities. This…

Advocates 4 ALL Youth (ALLY) is a universal, 6-week mental health literacy program, implemented in schools during the school day by community volunteers. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the ALLY program on youth who endorsed negative affect (i.e., self-reported symptoms of both depression and anxiety). Using a randomized…

This research investigates high-achieving, rural middle-school students' academic attributions and self-efficacy. The study sample (n = 77) included middle-school students attending schools in rural districts in a predominately rural, Midwestern state in the United States (U.S.). There was high participation in the Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL)…

A mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between teachers within urban Title I elementary schools (e.g., high versus low performing) and their mathematics problem-solving beliefs in six constructs ("perseverance," "procedural," "conceptual," "importance," "effort," and…

Recent educational policy initiatives in Ireland have focused on improving outcomes in reading and mathematics among students, particularly those experiencing educational disadvantage. However, science achievement in Irish primary schools has received much less research attention, especially in the context of educational disadvantage. This article…

This dissertation is rooted in three strands of scholarship: translingual approaches to writing (Horner et al., 2011), social design-based experiments (Gutierrez & Vossoughi, 2010) as a subset of participatory design-based research (Bang & Vossoughi, 2016), and the Learning on the Move framework centering embodied and mobile epistemologies…

This article reports findings from an exploratory study investigating the effects of robotics professional development sessions in underserved middle schools in the southeastern United States. Eleven middle-level science and mathematics teachers from a high-needs school district received year-long training in robotics technology and instructional…