This study used the FACES 2009 dataset to examine the possibility of an indirect effect of classroom quality on academic school readiness through teacher-rated approaches to learning in a large nationally representative sample of children served by Head Start. Research Findings: Classroom quality did not directly predict gains in academic school…

Vibrant social connections and robust community involvement are part of what makes a strong America. Yet, among our nation's young people, there are relatively low levels of community engagement. Research shows that service learning is an established method to bring youth closer to their communities while also promoting positive youth development…

Identity and meaning are fundamental to human experience and are particularly pertinent during adolescence and times of adversity. While identity development and meaning making can be different for vulnerable young people, who experience multiple adverse life events, there is currently little evidence of how these young people construct identity…

The United Kingdom has a considerable attainment gap between students from the most and the least advantaged backgrounds. This gap opens up in the early years, with disadvantaged pupils already over four months behind their more advantaged peers by the time they start at primary school. The gap then continues to widen as students progress through…

This study investigates the impact of accessible and inaccessible role models on early adolescents' conceptions of their identities. Accessible role models have regular direct interactions with adolescents, while inaccessible role models like celebrities do not. This investigation was based within the context of a broader educational intervention…

Many Australian students from poor families decline to take advanced mathematics when they reach senior secondary school, resulting in an under-representation of disadvantaged student groups in the advanced mathematics streams. It is important to promote disadvantaged students' aspirations for advanced mathematics given the significance of this…

Many youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) are surprisingly hopeful. We propose a typology of the hopes for the future (HFTF) of YEH, based on a qualitative study employing grounded theory. YEH fell into four categories: (a) nonmainstream HFTF youth who wished to escape the mainstream, (b) mainstream HFTF youth who wished to integrate into the…

Background: The presence of health problems in a child is known to be negatively associated with later academic achievement, but less is known about the educational outcomes for siblings of children in poor health. The study investigated how having a sibling with health problems affects a healthy sibling's academic achievement. Methods: We…

The purpose of this study was to assess the increase of Latino parents' confidence in advocating and supporting their child's schooling. The intervention was implemented in six public independent school districts in the Southwest United States. The data was examined through matched pre- and post-surveys (n = 45). Findings are consistent in…

Educational equity programs have been created to provide opportunities and resources for upward social mobility to low-SES individuals and students, students of color, historically marginalized students, and first-generation college students. This research study focused on educational equity programs recognized as the federally funded TRIO…

Ten years ago, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) shifted K-12 funding in California, directing more dollars to districts with high-need students--English Learner, low-income, and/or foster youth. This policy brief examines concerns over the flexibility LCFF gave districts to spend their money and provides data regarding: (1) how additional…

In this exploratory study, we describe the learning experiences of adolescents from a social project called "Orquestrando Talentos," which offered violin and viola lessons in two high-needs schools for low-income students in Erechim, Southern Brazil. Grounded on the central tenets of popular education, on Paulo Freire's work, and on…

Children living in poverty often show delayed cognitive and social development compared with children reared in more affluent environments. However, much of the research focuses on how objective financial strain (e.g. household income) impacts preschoolers' executive function (EF); little research has considered the impacts of parents'…

"Parent involvement", valued by the field of early childhood education, is shown to contribute to the growth and development of children. However, what has in fact, been "valued" are engagement practices based on normalized white middle class cultural patterns. The current understandings of and expectations for "parent…

In this paper, we present a framework to examine the kinds of careers that rural disadvantaged youth would like to know about in a career guidance intervention as also related findings from two different rural disadvantaged contexts in India. Differences across gender, age group, region, and participation/non-participation in youth programmes are…