The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how gifted high school graduates in Arizona describe their experiences of relatedness with peers and teachers as motivation in the online high school learning environment. The study's theoretical foundation is Self-Determination Theory's concept of relatedness, or connection. Two…

E-sports, or online gaming, is a relatively new phenomenon taking place on high school campuses across the country. While many view online gaming through a negative lens, there is a growing body of research that E-sports participation provides similar benefits and detriments to those of traditional sports. The purpose of this paper was to identify…

Alternative high school students are a demographic often relegated to the margins throughout their educational journey, stripped of the agency necessary for them to authentically engage in their learning. This Action Research study aimed to investigate the relationship between attendance and student engagement, with a particular emphasis on how…

Digital learning ecosystem plays important roles for transforming teaching classroom into learning community. This article used a mixed method to (1) explore the teaching and learning activities and components of a digital learning ecosystem through eighteen in-depth interviews and six observation classroom teachings of three subjects (English,…

This research was encouraged by the demand for every student to possess higher order thinking skills (HOTS). This ability can be assessed when the question instruments require high-level thinking skills. Hence, the present study aimed to analyze the fulfilment and percentage of high-level thinking skill indicators in reading literacy questions at…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the process by which culturally responsive school leaders (CRSL) become CRSL in secondary public schools. Although there is a clear need for leaders trained in culturally responsive practices, little is known about high school leaders' journey to become culturally responsive school leaders…

The purpose of this study was to investigate Maryland music teacher education program completers' background and transition into the K-12 public school music teacher (N = 700). Using data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System between 2008 and 2020, I examined characteristics associated with music teacher employment in the public schools, the…

Based on a multi-site ethnography of three distinct Ghanaian secondary schools and drawing on the Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT), this research explored teachers' perceptions of the implementation of Ghana's Free Senior High School Policy. The study employed document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. The…

The college admissions process can be very overwhelming for students, parents, and schools alike. This study investigates the need and practicality of integrating more Social Emotional Learning concepts into the college counseling program at an independent high school as viewed by recent high school graduates and parents of current students.…

Two persistent shortcomings of the American labor market are the wage gaps and unequal unemployment rates that exist between racial groups. More specifically, Black and Latinx high school graduates earn less and are more likely to be unemployed than their White counterparts, on average. Likewise, students from low-income families are much more…

Empirical research has established that exclusionary discipline is applied to black students at a higher rate than white students for similar offenses, and that this disproportionality cannot be attributed to the severity or frequency of misconduct. Exclusionary discipline, which removes a student from the educational setting, poses significant…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore African American students and school administrators' experiences with out-of-school suspension (OSS) and their perceptions of strategies to reduce suspensions. Researchers have identified research-based strategies to reduce OSS, including restorative practices and Positive Behavior…

Keeping students in the classroom so that they are engaged with their teachers is a struggle. Students have many distractions in their lives other than school. When students are disruptive in the classroom the code of conduct or student handbook dictates the student's punishment. These are the zero-tolerance policies established in 1994 (Evans…

This paper estimates the effects of earning industry-recognized certifications (IRCs) in high school on downstream outcomes. IRCs are a form of alternative education credential issued by industry groups or corporations to individuals seeking to acquire knowledge or skills in a particular sector. This credential type has grown rapidly among high…

As reported in the first State of the American Student report in 2022 (ED623504), pandemic school closures led to unprecedented academic setbacks for American students. They exacerbated preexisting inequalities and accelerated the youth mental health crisis. The second edition provides basic data on the overall system, but focuses especially on…