School is a safe haven for children where vast worlds of learning open up to them. They learn and play surrounded by friends and with the example and guidance of teachers. The rituals and routines of the school day give children a sense of order, belonging, and common experience with their peers. Students connect with the values, rituals,…

Recent evidence suggests that only about 1 in 5 U.S. adults has a friend on the political "other side" (Dunn, 2020). Although these interpartisan friendships are uncommon, they play a critical role in catalyzing empathy, reducing prejudice, furthering justice, and even restoring democracy, as suggested by the theory of civic friendship…

Education today is evolving to foster essential psychosocial skills like creativity, critical thinking, and responsibility, equipping students for 21st-century challenges. However, it is crucial to examine the motivations driving these changes and their alignment with broader societal goals beyond merely economic interests. This article explores…

Schools in the United States are becoming more diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, but many minority students experience disconnection from school for a variety of reasons. Longstanding research on the jigsaw method suggests that it has been an effective intervention for increasing interdependence among students and…

This article discusses the use of behavior-specific praise (BSP), an effective technique for promoting prosocial behavior and managing classrooms. It addresses the criticism that BSP may reduce students' intrinsic motivation and offers directions on how to use BSP to provide students, especially those with challenging behaviors, with useful…

In this deeply insightful work, nationally renowned bullying expert Elizabeth Kandel Englander offers sensible perspectives on student social behavior and equips educators and parents with effective strategies to identify and address bullying. This second edition of "Bullying and Cyberbullying" reveals how enormous social changes,…

On August 3rd, 2019, a racially-charged mass shooting occurred at Walmart in El Paso, TX that killed 23 people and injured another 23. Following the Walmart shooting, students in this borderland region wrote essays related to their experiences. We used the themes we identified to inform implications for teaching writing and composition for middle…

Very limited research explains students' responses to specific motivational climates in sport, and many physical educators do little more than casually observe the sporting behaviors of students in their care. Therefore, the purposes of this article are to encourage physical educators and youth coaches to develop and maintain a task-mastery…

Implementing curriculum standards in high school social studies education often challenges educators in shaping their instructional decisions and students' learning experiences. North Carolina social studies educators have faced challenges in balancing the requirements of curriculum standards with the need to teach sensitive topics such as race,…

In today's society, values are already an important part of any social and educational project. Physical activity and sport are excellent instruments to promote the conveyance of values resulting in personal and social development. However, an increasing number of authors state that the mere practice of physical activity in itself does not develop…

In this deeply insightful work, nationally renowned bullying expert Elizabeth Kandel Englander offers sensible perspectives on student social behavior and equips educators and parents with effective strategies to identify and address bullying. This second edition of "Bullying and Cyberbullying" reveals how enormous social changes,…

Over the past 25 years, research and practical experience have supported investments in strategies to encourage all students to behave according to agreed-upon expectations. In collaboration with expert panelists, the What Works Clearinghouse™ (WWC) distilled that research into practical recommendations for elementary educators. The…

Students succeed in school environments that support them in demonstrating prosocial and positive behavior. Student behaviors that disrupt or distract from classroom instruction can result in fewer learning opportunities for students and decreased likelihood of academic success. Behavioral interventions can help students engage in positive…

Students succeed in school environments that support them in demonstrating prosocial and expected behavior. Student behaviors that disrupt or distract from classroom instruction can result in fewer learning opportunities for students, strained relationships between students and teachers, perceptions of unsupportive classroom and school…

Games enable children to practice emotions in spaces that are free from actualized consequences. With thoughtful guidance, games can help children manage emotions, perspective-take, demonstrate empathic concern, and exhibit prosocial behaviors. Emerging research suggests that these competencies--also known as social and emotional learning (SEL)…