We study the role of Hip-Hop teaching artists in a school change initiative. A school-university-community partnership in a Canadian city, the project sought to develop a school-wide focus on the "urban arts" for student learning and wellbeing. The experiences of nine teaching artists over four years, examined through the lens of…

Within the specific context of Saudi Arabian high schools, I conducted a qualitative study to gain a greater understanding of how decentralization, a significant reform initiative, affected principals and teachers. The study centered around participants' perspectives, challenges, and successes. I actively sought recommendations for improving the…

The mixed-method sequential explanatory research study examined the impact of implementing a block schedule in two Missouri high schools. Previously, other studies had investigated the influence of school reform on educational programming, the implementation of professional learning communities, development of project-based learning models, and…

With a renewed commitment to systematic efforts as school leaders use multi-tiered systems of supports to meet students' multiple needs as educators navigate through the pandemic era, it is helpful to learn from implementers who screened successfully prior to the pandemic. This model demonstration paper features the experiences of four middle and…

Personalization for academic and social-emotional learning (PASL) is a systemic approach to high school reform that works to strengthen and bridge preexisting academic and social-emotional systems within schools and classrooms. Analyzing student administrative records from 12 schools in a large Florida urban district, we found that, on average,…

Despite the substantial shifts in education to align classroom instruction and assessment to common academic standards, traditional grading practices remain largely associated with longstanding beliefs and practices. Research suggests that traditional grading may be an inequitable practice that inaccurately communicates student learning (Plourde,…

Background/Context: The "college-for-all" movement has guided education reform efforts over the last few decades. Of college-for-all adopters, the "no-excuses" charter school model is arguably the most successful and controversial. Schools that use this model produce high standardized test scores and four-year college…

Ten years ago, Sunnydale High School leaders worked with teachers and community members to create an international baccalaureate (IB)-for-all model to prevent racially and socioeconomically identifiable class levels. For nearly a decade, the program has been successful with stakeholders largely supporting the model. Following pandemic-related…

Background: We investigate the factors that shape teachers' implementation of a school STEM reform--the creation of a high-school makerspace. Educational reformers have increasing interest in making and makerspaces in schools. Prior research shows how factors shape reform at the classroom, school (organizational), and institutional levels, as well…

National context: Schools across the United States have long grappled with the role and impact of school-based police officers, often referred to as school resource officers (SROs). Proponents for school-based policing believe that SROs contribute to school safety by preventing or addressing crime and violence in schools. Opponents of SROs in…

The pandemic brought new attention to the challenges high schools face, and, concurrently, communities are raising their expectations for graduates and demanding that high schools set students up to succeed and persist with college and career. While districts are creating inspiring visions for high school graduates and aspirational descriptions of…

This research aimed to improve the quality of students in Srikranuanwittayakom School using the concept of "Teach Less, Learn More." The method used in this study was Participatory Action Research, and there were twenty teachers voluntarily participating. The study had been done in two semesters of the academic year 2020. The three…

Purpose: Drawing on Coburn and Turner's framework for research on data use, this study looks at how contextual factors support interactions around data. In so doing, the authors contribute to the emerging body of literature on administrators supporting high school students' social-emotional learning (SEL). Design/methodology/approach: This…

How do some high schools produce graduates that consistently achieve at high levels? Would you believe there's a set of proven strategies that could help you deliver similar impressive results and better prepare students for the world after high school? High schools in the United States face a startling reality: many graduates are unprepared for…

The COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period is a unique opportunity to understand contemporary issues in high school reform. Evidence has clearly demonstrated lingering COVID impacts on adolescent students that have deepened pre-existing inequities and worsened teen mental health. There's a natural desire to regain normalcy after the pandemic. But…