Executive functioning has been a buzz word in education for a few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The research around executive functioning is exploding, as teachers are seeking to support students entering their classrooms with what seems like a wider variety of needs and less independence than ever before. Many districts are…

This Spotlight explores key aspects of MTSS implementation, including its relationship to special education and effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Discover how MTSS can be used to support social-emotional learning, address discipline disparities, and ensure equitable access to resources and support. By combining data-driven…

General and special educators often do not have the needed knowledge and skills or collaborative opportunities to implement coordinated, evidence-based instruction within a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. As such, the authors used a randomized control design to examine the impact of Project Coordinate (PC), a professional…

National, state, and local governmental authorities have researched and reported the impacts of poverty on academic performance for multiple decades, providing guidance, legislation, accountability, equal access initiatives, and continuous monitoring for educators to address the ongoing dilemma. However, poverty performance achievement gaps are…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the systems, structures, and on-going professional development that leaders of elementary schools in New York State provide to support students who struggle with ADHD and executive functioning skills. The study used interviews as a data collection tool. Sixteen participants, including principals…

Mentoring has been regarded as a promising way to reach at-risk youth and to strengthen the protective factors. This article focuses on emotions, reflections, and challenges that adult volunteers face in trying to establish and maintain a friend relationship with young adults in a multicomponent mentor setting in Finland. Based on our…

Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) is an effective model for identifying students at risk for academic failure as well as behavioral concerns (excesses and deficits) that impede classroom success. Over the years, researchers have investigated the positive effects of the MTSS model on behavioral needs of students; however, to date the research…

As the nation transitions from responding to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to navigating its ongoing impact on youth and their communities, K-12 students continue to experience mental health and wellbeing challenges. In the fall of 2021, Redwood City School District (RCSD) placed a full-time, district-employed mental health counselor in each…

Educators have embraced the promotion of social emotional development, student well-being, and mental health as essential educational objectives to promote academic readiness and growth. To address known research-to-practice gaps and limited availability of evidence-based, universal high school programs, we took a community-based participatory…

Exclusionary discipline practices (EDPs) have been linked to poor academic performance and student dropout rates. Research shows that students suspended, expelled, or placed in alternate learning environments fare worse academically than their peers. This qualitative case study explores the experiences of classroom teachers in Northwest Louisiana…

Black male students with dyslexia not proffered suitable accommodations may have their futures severely impacted by institutional barriers. Inappropriate interventions often lead to educational hardships despite students having educational prowess to achieve scholastically. This article addresses how school counselors, driven by the components of…

This mixed methods study examines trauma in elementary school children and the need for a relationship to maximize their learning opportunities. Check-in/Check-out is a Tier Two intervention that was used to prioritize behavioral goals, maximize the relationship based on a less-than five minute meeting between the student and the…

The COVID-19 pandemic shed a light on the differences in educational outcomes within American public schools. Although race and socio-economic status is independently associated with scholastic outcomes, it is necessary to take an intersectional approach to examining the persistent and widening opportunity gap stemming from inequity in public…

Black students with disabilities in Maple Cove School District were three times more likely to lose instructional days due to exclusionary disciplinary action than their peers without disabilities. A qualitative inquiry approach, in the form of a case study was used to determine principals' perspectives about factors that may impact discipline…

For Wisconsin schools and districts, implementing an equitable multi-level system of supports means providing equitable services, practices, and resources to every learner based upon responsiveness to effective instruction and intervention. In this system, high quality instruction, strategic use of data, and collaboration interact within a…