Escape rooms are collaborative puzzle solving activities that require the participants to utilize logical reasoning and teamwork. With a slight refocusing on previously acquired knowledge, escape rooms can also be used to test and promote learning of certain topics. This paper describes the development of a one-hour in-person STEM focused escape…

School safety is a wicked problem due to shifting needs and available information, the diverse actors affected and involved, fluctuating budgetary demands and ramifications, and relations to broader social and political issues. School safety challenges encompass a range of factors, including threats of violence and fears related to school…

This study analyzes "Act Out Justice" (AOJ), a youth theatre for social change initiative of Orlando Repertory Theatre and the University of Central Florida. Employing AOJ's model of reflective collaborative inquiry (Horn et al., 2020), this article dramatizes the practice of responding to one's own work. Through narrative and dialogical…

Most grading done at high schools in the United States results in a single grade for a single class on a report card or transcript. A single number or letter lacks context and cannot effectively communicate a student's proficiency in content or skills. Altering or expanding a school's grading scheme may originate at the district or school level,…

This brief shares learnings from Building Equitable Learning Environments (BELE) district partnerships around the sixth Essential Action: Measure What Matters. This Essential Action focuses on achieving equitable learning environments through the routine collection and review of relevant student feedback data to co-design new practices and…

The purpose of this study was to examine data regarding the implementation of critical components of the Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in Minnesota public secondary schools, defined as middle and high schools that service any combination of Grades 6-12. This study's mixed method design utilized secondary data collected from the…

This report discusses best practices and barriers to successful implementation of social and emotional learning (SEL) at six case study schools in AISD. Researchers from the AISD Department of Research and Evaluation conducted focus groups and interviews with students and staff at two elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools to…

This executive summary report discusses best practices and barriers to successful implementation of social and emotional learning (SEL) at six case study schools in AISD. Researchers from the AISD Department of Research and Evaluation conducted focus groups and interviews with students and staff at two elementary schools, two middle schools, and…

This qualitative case study examined school leaders' roles, perceptions, and challenges leading a one-to-one (1:1) laptop initiative in a coeducational, independent middle, and high school in the United States. The findings revealed how the school leaders led the school's 1:1 laptop initiative through collaborative, yet differentiated roles and…

Technology is changing the teaching and learning landscape. Teacher preparation programs must produce teachers who have new skills and strategies to leverage the benefits of laptop computers in their classrooms. This study used a phenomenological strategy to explain first-year college students' perceptions of the effects of a 1:1 laptop experience…

We report on the scaling up of a high school content literacy framework, Reading Apprenticeship, over a period of four years as part of the independent evaluation of an Investing in Innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Education to WestEd's Strategic Literacy Institute (SLI). Our goal was to understand the school processes that support…

Since 2014, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has partnered with the Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University (Gardner Center) to support OUSD's efforts to assess, enhance, and scale their community schools work. They began by working with the district to develop a System Strategy Map to articulate the district's…

Integrated student supports (ISS), sometimes referred to as integrated student services, represents an emerging field of practice that aims to address persistent disparities in educational achievement and attainment. ISS is a school-based approach to promoting students' academic achievement and educational attainment by coordinating a seamless…

Preparing students to succeed in college and careers requires aligned systems that allow for smooth transitions between institutions as well as integrated supports to enable learners to progress toward careers. Student transitions from secondary to postsecondary education and/or careers have long been stumbling blocks because preschool through…

The main goal of this study was to explore the role of collaborative action research in eliciting change in teacher beliefs. The beliefs were those of five chemistry teachers in implementing a new teaching approach, geared to enhancing students' scientific and technological literacy (STL). The teacher beliefs were analysed based on Ajzen's Theory…