In the United States, research on reading difficulties is predominantly carried out by scholars who project findings on L1 English reading difficulty to generalized difficulty in learning a second language (L2; e.g., Galuschka et al., 2020; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020; cf. Sparks, 2023). This research extrapolation creates a negative feedback…

California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) was awarded a five-year grant, "Puedes! Caminos, Cariño, y Carreras in a Post-Pandemic Era", that began in Fall 2022, to support educational opportunity and attainment of Hispanic students. Guided by the program goals, Year 1 activities demonstrated effective project operations on multiple…

The Physics Laboratory of the Hellenic Open University has constructed a small scale and low cost air shower detector suitable for operation inside the classroom or school laboratory ([mu]Cosmics detector). In this work we present some of the educational activities foreseen with the [mu]Cosmics air shower detector, as well as the assessment of a…

A two-week summer camp for high school students focused on sustainable polymers was developed and implemented. Students took part in experiments and interactive lessons that demonstrate polymer chemistry fundamentals alongside associated sustainability challenges and opportunities. For example, polymer concepts related to chemical properties…

Homeland visits and stays have only recently began to receive attention within the growing literature on the religious beliefs and practices of 'second generation' Muslims in Western contexts, just as African Muslims have largely been neglected within this emerging field. Drawing on data collected over a total of 14 months among Senegalese migrant…

In this essay, Mingda Sun, a high school student from Connecticut, recounts her summer research internship opportunity at the Center for Quantitative Medicine of UConn Health. She discusses her learning experiences, the challenges she faced, and the encouragement she received from her mentors and peers and explains how this month-long internship…

In flipped classrooms, students learn course content by watching flipped lessons (videos) outside of class time. During class, instructors guide learning by answering questions, facilitating projects, and fostering relationships with students. Although flipped classrooms are gaining popularity in secondary school settings, most research is…

A lead instructional coach at a social justice-oriented summer tech program for students of color reflects on feedback she received from other members of the organization's leadership. Students were admonished for using phones, wearing headphones, taking breaks, and choosing when to participate in activities. Leaders of the organization wanted to…

This dissertation investigated an affective curriculum intervention's effectiveness in resolving underachievement. The intervention was first implemented at a summer program with 20 students and four camp counselors. Inductive analysis of qualitative data indicated that most participants had positive perceptions of the model. Descriptive analyses…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact a Summer Bridge Program had on academically at-risk students who entered their first year of college. Additionally, this study looked at participants' and non-participants' involvement in extracurricular activities, students' sense of belonging to the college, and retention of first-year…

The evidence suggests that many types of summer learning programs have the potential to reduce summer learning losses and perhaps create learning gains. However, implementing a summer program does not guarantee positive effects on students' learning. A key question then is: What factors make a summer learning program effective? This article, drawn…

Out-of-school time, especially in the summer, offers students an opportunity to explore new passions, build friendships and relationships, and experiment with independence. Taking field trips, visiting museums, and going to camp can all boost students' learning and social development. But engagement in and access to these vital opportunities are…

Summer reading is correlated with improved reading scores and a decrease in summer learning loss. This educational leadership portfolio (ELP) was designed to address summer learning loss as a way to improve reading achievement for elementary students in the Phoenixville Area School District (PASD) in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. More specifically,…

This article provides an overview of a summer professional development (PD) for teachers working within an urban alternative educational school district. Engaging with a lab classroom with intensive coaching support, teacher participants observed and participated in 20 days of literacy instruction that centered culturally responsive-sustaining…

While civic participation is a crucial component of healthy and sustainable democracies, young adolescents may perceive or experience barriers that limit their civic action. This study draws from focus groups and surveys during a week-long summer civics camp to explore ways in which 47 young adolescents entering Grades 6-9 described barriers they…