Students' social and emotional well-being can impact academic performance, the college planning process, transition to college life, and college retention. Many students have had their mental health and well-being negatively affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially within the educational setting. When instruction was shifted from…

An essential goal of educational instruction is to ensure that all students become competent readers. To support students in becoming qualified readers, teachers need to identify struggling students and implement adequate curriculum programs. This study examined the effects of a computer-adaptive reading program on third-grade students' reading…

Transitioning from high school to college is a challenging time for young adults and can be more difficult for first generation students. In some cases, adolescents are assisted by community assets (coaches, teachers, church/family members) and community-based leadership education programs. This combination may provide youth with critical skills…

Decades of research have shown that exclusionary discipline practices are not only ineffective for changing student behavior, they lead to worse social, behavioral, and academic outcomes for students. This article explores the findings from a pilot study of the "Inclusive Skill-Building Learning Approach" (ISLA), an instructional…

The XY-Zone program is a leadership and peer support program that guides adolescent males as they journey into manhood. This mixed methods study examined the influence of the XY-Zone program on developmental assets and academic markers of males in grades nine through 12 who were identified as youth at risk of dropping out of school. Results…

This study examines the issues surrounding middle school students' transitions to high school and the degree to which freshman orientation models can help them. The attendance, discipline, report card grades, and end-of-course exams of 60 students who participated in a freshman orientation were compared to those of 150 students who were invited to…

Substance use among youth is a significant health concern in the rural United States, particularly among at-risk students. While evidence-based programs are available, literature suggests that an underdeveloped rural health prevention workforce often limits the adoption of such programs. Additionally, population-size restrictions of national…

This study examined the effects of the Boys Town In-Home Family Program on improving child behavior and parenting skills. The three-month parenting intervention was delivered to parents in their homes. All children were referred to the program by school personnel. Of the 107 families that enrolled in the study, 79% completed the intervention.…

This article describes the results of a research project designed to assess the efficacy of a secondary transition model, RENEW (Rehabilitation, Empowerment, Natural supports, Education and Work), on the social and emotional functioning of 20 youth at risk of dropping out of high school using the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale…

This study reports the findings of a six-week summer literacy program conducted at a transitional housing facility for homeless families in the Southwestern region of the U.S. This study is grounded on the body of knowledge on students' literacy and homelessness. The intervention included one-on-one instruction by tutors. This study examined…

Mentoring is frequently discussed as a viable approach for improving the educational and social outcomes of students at risk for learning or behavioral problems. However, little data-based evidence beyond case study has been presented regarding the effectiveness of mentoring for students at risk. Here, 16 students with emotional/behavioral…

Since 1999, the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) has provided funding to provincial school authorities for projects designed to improve student learning and performance. Conducted in three-year cycles, this unique approach has successfully helped to initiate approximately 1,600 grassroots projects led by school districts, teachers,…

The purpose of this pilot study was to review the effects of professional staff training in crisis management and de-escalation techniques on the use of seclusion timeout and restraint procedures with at-risk students in a K-12 special day school. An exploratory pre-post study was conducted over a two-year period, comparing the use of these…