The purpose of this qualitative life narrative study was to describe the themes and patterns in which religio-spirituality influences the leadership process for four Black American principals. The study explored how these women leaders navigated intersecting oppressions as they engaged in social justice in their schools and the role of…

The understanding of positive development across adolescence rests on having a valid and equivalent measure of this construct across the breadth of this period of life. Does the Positive Youth Development (PYD) construct based on the Five Cs model have satisfactory psychometric properties for such longitudinal measurement invariance? Using…

We examined the effect of the perceived classroom environment on math self-efficacy and the effect of math self-efficacy on standardized math test performance. Upper elementary school students (N = 1,163) provided self-reports of their perceived math self-efficacy and the degree to which their math classroom environment was mastery oriented,…

Data and information are important components of school improvement. They show how schools are changing and how students are progressing. Providing and interpreting data is one of the critical functions of the Iowa Department of Education. The annual Condition of Education report provides valuable data about students, educators and school…

In the raging controversy over the purpose of public education and how to fix the nation's underperforming schools, the voices of America's best teachers are seldom heard. Now for the first time, in a provocative book about the future of teaching and learning, 12 of America's most accomplished classroom educators join a leading advocate for a…

Targeted or universal pre-K? Direct instruction or learning through play? These and other debates are heating up as more and more young children across the country gain access to pre-K programs. Now there's a single volume that spotlights today's most urgent pre-K debates, explores each one from all sides, and paves the way for sound, educated…

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the caring student-teacher relationships between students with disabilities and their teachers. Specifically, this study examined two different, yet related ideas. The first research question addresses how middle school students with emotional disabilities and their teachers described and…

Issues such as joblessness, violence, and substance abuse have threatened some forms of civic life and community well-being in African American urban neighborhoods. And for young people, a diminished capacity for hope is one of the most significant threats to civic engagement. Community organizations are responding to this crisis by creating…

While adolescents benefit from the involvement of caring adults who participate in their schooling experiences, their families' participation in school events decreases incrementally as they progress through their education. There is still much to be understood about how to develop supportive relationships that encourage families to contribute and…

School districts are faced with the challenge of how best to serve the needs of a growing homeless student population. As the numbers of homeless children and youth continue to rise, it is imperative for educators and others to understand the experiences of unaccompanied homeless youth. A qualitative research project was undertaken to obtain the…

This article describes a research study about the experiences of adult educators in which the stories of three of the participants were central in exploring the issue of social care in adult education. It proposes that the adult educators with a social care orientation in this study acknowledge the importance of, and work to provide for, human…

The present study explores Greek parents' views on parental educational involvement and its impact on adolescent scholastic and social development. Specifically, aspects of parental involvement such as the achieved objectives of current parent-school communication, the psychological climate dominating teacher-parent interactions and parents'…

Instructor credibility, or the degree to which an instructor is perceived by his or her students to be competent, to have character, and to be caring, is one of the most important variables affecting teacher-student interaction. However, gender role stereotypes may place female instructors at a disadvantage when it comes to perceptions of their…

Many novice teachers have the requisite skills, dispositions, and commitment to succeed, yet are leaving the profession in huge numbers. Despite induction and mentoring programs in many schools, approximately 50 percent of new teachers quit within their first five years. Perhaps what these teachers need is motivation inherent in a different kind…

We work with an approach which addresses one way we can engage with the past in order to better understand and engage with choices in the present. This approach is rooted in the exploration of historical case studies in order to explore the dilemmas and choices people face, and to examine the consequences of their responses. Using illustrations…