For too long, the middle grades have been racked by a mistaken narrative that this age group is simply too difficult, or that it's a time in life when one must simply endure rather than thrive. The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) rejects that narrative. It is time for a unified policy agenda in support of the middle grades. This…

Over the past few years, state legislators have proposed and enacted legislation that undermines youth rights and imposes education censorship. To discuss the impact on support-based mechanisms in schools, qualitative interviews (n = 11) and one focus group were conducted with school social workers. This study privileges practitioner wisdom to…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teacher advocacy is a particular skillset within STEM teacher leadership, but little is known about how STEM teacher leaders develop their identity as advocates for STEM education. To glean a more nuanced and deeper understanding of developing advocate identity among STEM teacher leaders, we…

Those most affected by a policy should have the greatest say in shaping it, the adage goes. Yet students--those whom education policies affect most--are far too frequently excluded from decision making. Even when students' voices are included, they are often only symbolically considered. In Washington, DC, student involvement in policymaking is…

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that regularly scheduled recess during the school day should be regarded as a childhood right that is necessary for the optimal health and educational growth of all students, and that recess should not be withheld for any student. The registered professional school nurse…

As experts that have recently transitioned from practicing in the special education field, special education doctoral students are crucial levers that can influence special education policy and advocacy initiatives. This article details the unique role doctoral students play in this work, ways doctoral students can familiarize themselves with…

Academic freedom is understood as a set of individual protections and community practices for faculty to assess quality, promote truth-seeking, and advance the common good through research, teaching, and other expression. It is also understood as a set of institutional principles for universities when it comes to decision-making about academic…

Rural critical policy analysis (RCPA) goes beyond questions about whether a policy will "work" in a particular place, to examine the impact of policies on rural places. RCPA recognizes that policies represent the allocation of values--and that policy analysis cannot be separated from views of right and wrong. RCPA asks us to consider…

The NASP advocacy team and Government and Professional Relations (GPR) Committee have been working tirelessly to advocate for the profession, solutions to the shortages, school safety, and access to comprehensive school mental health services. This article provides a brief summary of the critical advocacy work that has occurred over the last…

The article explores the relationship between education policy change and policy transfer, focusing on Georgia's School Board of Trustees. It analyzes how Western practices have been implemented in the education policies of post-Soviet countries. To achieve this, the article utilizes instrumental case studies and in-depth interviews. It views…

It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that regularly scheduled recess during the school day should be regarded as a childhood right that is necessary for the optimal health and educational growth of all students, and that recess should not be withheld for any student. The registered professional school nurse…

The final report of the "Australian Universities Accord" consultation process highlighted the impact of work-integrated learning requirements on students' ability to complete professional qualifications, conceptualising equity in terms of a need to ensure 'equitable participation'. This article uses the case of social work education to…

In October 2022, the administration of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin commissioned a secret rewrite of the state's History and Social Science Standards of Learning to replace the draft that the state Department of Education had developed through its own standards revision process. This unprecedented step galvanized supporters of public education…

Advocacy is important in educator preparation programs, equipping future teachers with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to support students, schools, and communities. Educators are critical in driving policy change and supporting students with disabilities. This article explores how educator preparation programs can engage in advocacy at the…

Scholars have long urged teacher educators to engage in policy advocacy and to respond to mounting attacks on the teacher education field. Prior research has shown that teacher educators feel largely unprepared to participate in policy debates. This observation raises the question of how those who do engage in advocacy learn to navigate the…