The purpose of this study was to determine the quality, relevance, benefits, and teacher preparedness of a student advisory that was implemented in a high school to improve student connectedness to the school. Students' and staff perceptions and ideas were collected and analyzed for the purpose of understanding whether the advisory was meeting its…

National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) studies education systems with strong student performance across the globe to understand what they do, how they do it, and the context and challenges that they face. This brief shares what has been learned about how global leaders think about high school and how they organize time in school…

In recent years, there has been a growing understanding that consistent developmental relationships support student learning and well-being. Research shows that youth who have positive connections with adults at their schools demonstrate higher levels of motivation, self-esteem, and prosocial behavior than their peers in less relationship-centered…

Factors contributing to academic achievement among recently arrived Chinese adolescents in Australia remain relatively underexplored. Previous studies focused on Asian migrants, including Chinese, but did not distinguish Chinese from other Asian migrants. The current study specifically looks at Chinese migrants who have recently arrived, as…

In Germany about half of the adult learners who start second chance education drop out before graduation. In this paper we aim to contribute to an explanation for this low success rate. We focus on the normative expectations of learners: What are their expectations concerning teachers' attention to their personal abilities, teacher support and the…

In this article, we discuss findings from multi-level ethnography conducted in a secondary school located in Madrid (Spain). The study focuses on the variety of institutional, family and peer-based factors that contribute to the construction of students' socio-academic trajectories. In particular, we attempt to understand the role these social…

During the transition from primary to secondary school, students typically experience a new social environment, moving from primary school with small intact classes throughout the day with one main teacher, to a larger secondary school with teachers, classrooms and often classmates changing throughout the day. During this time, students report a…

This article argues for the use of dialogue journals as a means to engage students individually in their educational communities. Practical considerations, such as choice of form and methodology, are included.

Based on recent ethnographic research, this article explores young people's opportunities of formal and informal democracy learning and expressions of such learning in the highly market-influenced Swedish upper secondary education. With its ambitious democracy-fostering goals and far-reaching marketisation, Swedish education constitutes an…

Identifying what commonalities exist in high schools where students consistently outperform other demographically similar students is of particular interest to administrators and practitioners looking to increase graduation rates among all students. Schools that particularly improve the performance of students with special needs and those from…

Despite the wealth of studies on smaller learning communities (SLCs), student voices are missing from the debate on high school reform. This article examines how students experience SLCs. A participatory research method, data-in-a-day was used to provide a systematic and inclusive method for gathering data on student perceptions. Data-in-a-day is…

Recounts an incident in an Arizona high school where a student made a miraculous recovery from a near-death incident. Despite negative predictions from the treating physicians, the student leads a normal life again. (MD)

The answer to better discipline is giving students a stake in the school, caring for them, and teaching them without failure. (Author)

In describing the Spartans of ancient Greece, this writer makes a parallel with the problems of high school students today and asks principals to be understanding. (Author/LD)

To keep parents and students informed of class requirements, have teachers design a curricular paper that outlines each course and send these home for parent/student review. (DCS)