While much research has examined the role of individual and systemic racial bias in driving racial discipline disparities, less work has considered the significance of curricular environments in school discipline patterns. In this paper, I report on an ethnographic study of three kindergarten classrooms. Adopting a critical sociocultural…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. Learning losses are likely to show up differently across grades and subjects, with intensive recovery needs concentrated in…

Research of the opportunity and achievement gap shows: "College completion rates vary, with Black and Hispanic students earning credentials at a lower rate than white and Asian students" (Tate, 2017, pg.1). The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between grade-point average (GPA) (indicator of academic…

The transition to college from high school is significant for at-risk students, especially as they tend to struggle with self-regulated learning skills when trying to adapt to the university environment. In an attempt to mitigate this challenge and assist students with this transition, many universities offer first-year experience courses.…

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative-inquiry research study was to examine the perceptions and implementation of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process among elementary teachers who taught at a charter school in the southern area of Dallas, TX. In the qualitative research study, educators were provided an opportunity to voice their…

Advocates 4 ALL Youth (ALLY) is a universal, 6-week mental health literacy program, implemented in schools during the school day by community volunteers. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the ALLY program on youth who endorsed negative affect (i.e., self-reported symptoms of both depression and anxiety). Using a randomized…

Decades of research underscore how important teachers are in students' lives. They are, in fact, one of the most important factors contributing to student success in the classroom. Teachers, particularly highly qualified and effective teachers, are a key ingredient in achieving student success. However, as with many aspects of education, years of…

This qualitative case study proposes a pedagogy to support the academic success of students from historically excluded groups (HEGs), e.g. first-generation students, low-income students, and Students of Color, who are struggling academically. We adopted a 'student-ready' approach (McNair et al. 2016), which foregrounds institutional responsibility…

Pursuant to Education Code EDC 78080-78084, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office is pleased to provide the 2025 Hire UP Program Legislative Report. The Hire UP Pilot Program, established in 2022, aims to provide financial support and workforce integration for vulnerable student populations, including formerly incarcerated…

Many are concerned about the large decline in K-12 student achievement since 2019. And rightly so, given what it signals about student learning and later life outcomes. Less noted is the pre-pandemic sustained decline in student achievement growth that followed 30 years of increases. We examine the nature of achievement decline as measured by…

Zearn Math is a popular software platform for K-8 mathematics learning, designed to enable all students to successfully access grade-level content. RAND researchers collaborated with Zearn, the product's developer, to design this evaluation. Then RAND conducted the study independently, randomly assigning 64 schools in an urban Texas district to…

Climate change is amplifying existing inequities that disproportionately affect students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities. Addressing these inequities and educating students about climate change should be a priority, as extreme weather events -- such as flooding, extreme heat or cold, severe storms,…

This study examines middle and high school students' perceptions of school climate using an intersectional theoretical framework. Participants include 812 middle and high school students across the United States. Using exploratory factor analysis, we created indexes to regress perceptions of school climate across four subscales on variables known…

In recent decades, children's well-being, particularly at school, has become a major political and academic issue that has gained importance both in public policy and in the social sciences. "Well-being at School" uncovers and discusses the different ways in which school well-being has been defined and evaluated, by outlining the…

We study the determinants of poor mental health among students at an elite private institution. Survey measures of well-being have declined significantly over the last decade for both high school students and those of college age. This is an international phenomenon that appears to have started in the US around 2013 and that was not caused by but…