Out of school informal learning environments provide an excellent experience for students to develop scientific curiosity and critical thinking skills. Currently, there is a range of methods available for supporting STEM learning. As schools focus on college and career readiness, while giving high school students opportunities to take college…

This dissertation investigates the efficacy of LitFit, an innovative reading workshop program, in enhancing the reading skills and habits of male high school students in a rural setting. The study addresses the critical issue of lower reading proficiency among male students, a demographic that has historically received limited attention in English…

In an effort to prepare American high school students for future careers, many states have implemented specific career readiness standards and programs. One such program is known as Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO), which are hands-on, credit-bearing experiences outside of the classroom with an emphasis on community-based career exploration.…

Professional development and learning are vital components of the educational system due to their dynamic impact on teachers (Bayar, 2014; Darling-Hammond, 2010; Guskey, 2002). Despite the importance of teacher development and the impact of student learning outcomes, professional development and learning often rely on traditional…

Building cultural inclusivity is one of the major challenges many schools and teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand face today. This case study examines how a student-led video campaign in a multicultural high school strove to cultivate a culturally inclusive community, encouraging dialogue and empowering participants while students faced challenges in…

Pre-apprenticeship programs help youth and adults enter a Registered Apprenticeship program, further training, or the workforce. One of the challenges with starting and sustaining a pre apprenticeship program is bridging the gap between the business and educational leaders' understanding of the program. The bridge between the two sectors is a…

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) Tier 2 interventions are deemed an evidence-based practice that influences student academic and behavioral success. The problem addressed in this study was that there exists an academic and discipline disparity between African American students and peers of other races. The purpose of this…

This ethnographically-informed study observed a youth research team in collaboration with district leaders and university researchers to inform their school district's school improvement plans. When creating school change initiatives and educational policies in the United States, community members, including youth, rarely give input (Lac &…

Few qualitative studies have examined student perspectives on teachers' culturally responsive practices (CRP). This study includes focus group data from middle and high school students who shared perspectives on how teachers can improve their classroom practices and examined if reported concepts align with or go beyond existing models of CRP.…

Background: Vygotsky's theory accentuates the importance of social and cultural context and meaning. The newspapers provide contextual, meaningful, and authentic input that makes it easier to understand the passage, syntactical structures, unfamiliar vocabulary, and social and cultural issues as well. Reading newspapers regularly works towards…

In dual enrollment programs, high school students can take college courses and earn both high school and college credit--but in the past, dual enrollment had been used mostly by high-achieving students. In 2016, the California Legislature passed a law that expanded access to students who had been underserved in higher education. The resulting…

Prior research on school tracking has indicated that racialized classed ethnic students are channeled and separated into cohorts based on academic ability. Few studies have indicated the ways in which early socialization of teachers is imparted through pedagogical practices. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research when it comes to understanding…

The ways in which educators talk about diversity, and specifically about linguistic diversity, reflect underlying beliefs about language in society and influence teaching practice. Semi-structured interviews with 55 high school teachers in the Netherlands were analyzed qualitatively in order to identify teachers' discourse patterns related to the…

Background: Mental health literacy is important for awareness of mental illnesses in adolescence, which is the initial period of mental disorders. Determining the levels of mental health literacy guides studies in activities promoting mental health. This study aimed to determine the mental health literacy levels of high school students and…

States have introduced a range of policies and strategies aimed at boosting college readiness by strengthening collaborations between secondary and postsecondary education sectors. One popular strategy is Early College High Schools, which allows historically underserved student groups to complete college-level coursework and improve their college…