Adverse childhood experiences (typically referred to as ACEs) are potentially traumatic experiences and events, ranging from abuse and neglect to parental incarceration. A growing body of research has made it increasingly apparent that ACEs are a critical public health issue that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being in…

Research Findings: This meta-analysis examined 29 (quasi-)experimental studies that involved low-income children ages 3 to 5 who might be subject to risks of academic failure and other negative outcomes. Compared to the controls, children who learned with social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula demonstrated significantly improved…

In this article, I address African indigenous knowledge of early childhood development by discussing young children's cultural spaces of care, play and learning among the Guji people of Ethiopia. I analyze practices in the cultural spaces of young children and show how participatory community-based care and learning are pivotal in the tradition of…

This paper presents a framework for choosing between 4-and 6-point response options for use with online surveys. Using data that have both 4- and 6-point Likert-type items, we compare correlations, fit of factor analytic models, and several different reliability estimates as a way of identifying if there is empirical support for choosing a…

Across existing research literature and among arts educators there is widespread belief that artistic disciplines including music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literary arts, and media arts have a positive effect on children's and adolescents' social-emotional development. This project investigates the relationship between arts education and…

Students with gifts and talents perform--or have the capability to perform--at higher levels compared to others of the same age, experience, and environment in one or more domains. They require modification(s) to their educational experience(s) to learn and realize their potential. Student with gifts and talents: (1) Come from all racial, ethnic,…

We illustrate the application of mixture IRT [item response theory] models to evaluate the possibility of respondent confusion due to the negative wording of certain items on a social-emotional learning (SEL) assessment. Using actual student self-report ratings on four social-emotional learning scales collected from students in grades 3-12 from…

Although there is a robust body of literature studying targets for academic indicators within school quality systems few studies explore target setting for non-academic indicators. Focusing on elementary schools within the CORE districts, we investigate how moving performance targets for non-academic indicators affects school quality ratings. We…

While the importance of social-emotional learning for student success is well established, educators and researchers have less knowledge and agreement about which social-emotional skills are most important for students and how these skills distribute across student subgroups. Using a rich longitudinal dataset of 221,840 fourth through seventh…

Social competency is a set of skills that provide children with the tools and abilities to successfully navigate the world around them. "Developing Social Competency in Young Children" looks at each of the seven Cs of social competence--communication, community building, coping, confidence, conflict resolution, control, and curiosity.…

This study evaluates how teacher report measures align with different conceptualizations of children's social-emotional development. Leveraging seven teacher report measures of social competence and behavioral regulation in a predominantly low-income, population-based rural sample of four-year-old children (n = 828), model fit and validity were…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been defined in various ways. One of the most commonly cited models, that of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), defines SEL as "the process through which students and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand…

Training in social and emotional skills is critical for success, both in school and life. The lack of funding for programs and trained, skilled professionals leaves many children without the essential tools required to form emotional coping strategies and navigate social relationships. An Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) is an effective tool that…

Nurture groups aim to meet the developmental needs of vulnerable children identified as having Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Past research has highlighted the need to explore and explain the practitionerchild relationship in nurture groups. In this research, five nurture group practitioners from Key Stage 1 (KS1) nurture groups…

This study aimed to investigate how children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) adjust to school when compared to typically developing students. The convenience sample consisted of 135 children--27 with ADHD and 108 in the control group--and 19 prevalent teachers from 6 primary and secondary schools in Northwest Italy. Children…