Background: Youth mental health needs have worsened following COVID-19. Rising demand for school mental health services is straining capacity. Several states have added policies requiring mental health education, yet these vary widely and barriers to operationalization exist. Purpose: This paper explores the onerous landscape of mental health…

Online course taking is widespread in K-12 education and even more so as schools have turned to virtual learning during the global health crisis. Educators across the country are actively seeking evidence-based guidance, only to discover that there is limited rigorous research related to online learning. The need to understand how to prepare…

English language (EL) students' English language proficiency (ELP) scores directly impact a school district's College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score, measuring whether Georgia meets accountability requirements. English language proficiency for English language learners (ELLs) is measured by the ACCESS for ELLs assessment. The…

In "Measuring to Improve," Paul G. LeMahieu, Paul Cobb, and contributors introduce educational practitioners, administrators, and policymakers to the foundational elements of practical measurement to support continuous improvement efforts in K-12 schools. They begin by defining practical measurement as data collection and analysis that…

As artificial intelligence (AI) plays a more prominent role in our everyday lives, it becomes increasingly important to introduce basic AI concepts to K-12 students. Currently, most K-12 AI research focuses on introducing fundamental AI concepts using pure virtual platforms like webpages or software. However, robots, as helpful and popular tools…

Though research on Black adolescent girls is growing, their lived school experiences have been largely overlooked. In order for schools to effectively provide equitable opportunities and support students' well-being, the experiences of marginalized students must be more deeply understood. This study foregrounds Black adolescent girls by exploring…

STEM preparation--especially high school math course-taking--is a key predictor of college entrance. Previous research suggests that high school English learners (ELs) not only take fewer advanced math courses but also enroll in college at much lower rates than non-ELs--a group that includes former ELs. In the present study, we alter the analytic…

Teacher apprenticeship programs are a new and exciting structure that help strengthen and diversify the educator workforce by offering an alternative approach to teacher licensure. Often providing financial assistance, mentorship, and classroom experience, these programs help pave the way for high-quality candidates, benefitting schools, students,…

During and in the immediate years after the global COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has given school districts across the United States millions of dollars through a series of three final grants called the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant to help improve education, decrease student learning losses suffered…

Career and technical education (CTE) has been an effort in the United States to help bring quality career preparation programs to secondary schools nationwide, with many career clusters allowing schools to teach various courses. For example, the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career cluster provides interdisciplinary…

There are many initiatives currently in place to increase representation in STEM in K-12 schools, however there is still a lack of representation in STEM courses and STEM careers. The purpose of this multi-strand parallel sequential mixed method study was to provide insight into the barriers and perceptions of STEM held by educators, counselors,…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Safety." Contents include: (1) Students Demand Safe, Supportive Schools:…

Despite the widespread adoption of computational thinking (CT) across educational levels, challenges persist in its assessment due to diverse definitions, frameworks, and practical applications in classroom settings. This meta-synthesis investigates the assessment of computational thinking (CT) in primary and secondary education, synthesising…

Monitoring applications (MAs) software provides filtering and monitoring for technology management. In the fall of 2020, a southeastern state encouraged public and charter K-12 schools to use MAs by providing funding for their purchase. This was intended to protect students from online threats and self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic, which…

Executive functions are widely considered as an umbrella term for the higher order cognitive processes that contribute to goal-directed behavior. In addition, executive functions are highly correlated with positive academic outcomes. To promote the development of executive functions among youth within educational settings, some theorists and…