The prevalence of mental health challenges continues to worsen among adolescents, with Black American adolescents experiencing rates of suicide attempts that are increasing faster than any other racial and ethnic groups. Research has found that the neighborhood environment impacts mental health through the type and level of stress that people…

This study explored the experiences of undocumented immigrants who made the journey from central Mexico to Texas, revealing the contributing push and pull factors (violence, education, lack of opportunity, hope, and better life) that led to their journey. Current literature presents only parts of the journey, experiences, and struggles of…

In this study on educational change in Pennsylvania from 1790 to 1838, I reexamine the history of how the state established its common school system, the predecessor to the state's public school system. In doing so, I identify a series of three leaders, argue that poverty was the primary catalyst for educational reform, and explain the nature of…

Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic era, concerns about teacher turnover and teacher shortages remain at the top of the education agenda. But contrary to media reports about a "wave of resignations and retirements" (e.g., Heller, 2021), early evidence from state databases showed a more nuanced picture: teacher attrition was actually…

Teacher attrition remains a significant challenge in high-poverty urban schools, contributing to educational inequities and disrupting student learning. This study explores how teacher empowerment, encompassing systemic flexibility, supportive leadership, autonomy, and peer collaboration, influences teacher retention in these settings. Utilizing a…

During the COVID-19 pandemic the federal government enacted an unprecedented package of social safety net measures, including broad-based cash transfers in the form of expanded unemployment insurance (UI), a series of economic impact payments (EIPs), and the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC). It is well known that these measures-- especially the…

Drawing on the critical discourse analysis of journals and working papers from 2011-2020 referring to the at-risk of poverty or social exclusion composite indicator (AROPE), we shed light on how benchmarks technicize academic discourse, particularly in its part contributed by economists. First developed to measure progress towards the poverty…

The poverty rate among the Palestinian-Arab minority in Israel is two to three times higher than in the Jewish majority. While Arab schools in Israel have been studied from an unequal national and cultural rights perspective, they have rarely been studied from an unequal economic and social rights perspective, which highlights the role of…

Background: States are often ranked on a range of different indicators. In this study, states were ranked for each of the leading actual causes of death. Purpose: This study ranks states on how hazardous they are to the health of the citizenry in terms of the actual causes of death as identified in the seminal article by McGinnis and Foege. and…

Well-designed academic interventions can give students the targeted support they need to build confidence, improve specific skills, and reach their full academic potential. This Spotlight will help you measure the connection between tutoring, attendance, and better test scores; identify effective practices for tutoring; learn how to simultaneously…

The Hispanic population has emerged as a significant policy interest in U.S. rural communities, due to their increasing presence since the 1990s and contributions to the rural economy. This study describes trends in the social and educational resources available to rural Hispanic children over three decades, considering a new definition of…

Principal turnover remains a significant challenge in U.S. public schools, particularly in high-poverty contexts, where leadership instability negatively impacts student achievement, teacher retention, and overall school performance. This study investigated the relationship between distributed leadership practices and burnout among secondary…

The purpose of the exploratory case study was to examine the perceptions of mentees and how they receive a mentorship program and its perceived effectiveness for novice teachers at a high-poverty elementary school. The theory guiding this study was by Katz, which focused on the four dimensions of training for preschool teachers. The approach…

This paper critically examines the development of food charity in schools in England. Growing numbers of schools, often in partnership with charities and businesses, are directly providing food to parents who are struggling to feed their families. This paper analyses how and why this is happening and its broader significance. The growth of food…

The relationship between family poverty and children's psychological distress is well-established, often assessed through income-based measures. However, a child-centric perspective is lacking, particularly regarding the roles of teacher neglect and peer bullying as potential mediators, and the impact of cultural differences. This study explores…