This study investigates the significance of integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into school environments, a trend that has gained momentum over the past four decades. Recognizing that students' social and emotional competencies profoundly affect their academic success, educators are increasingly prioritizing the cultivation of skills such…

This study explores the influence a social-emotional-learning curriculum (SEL) has on the academic and emotional achievement of primary and secondary students with trauma, as reported by counselors at their schools. These participants, employees of a Louisiana school district, have observed and been involved in the program of instruction for at…

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) are an integral part of schools across the United States. When implementing SWPBIS, academic achievement, emotional regulation, prosocial behavior increases while behavioral problems, bullying, exclusionary discipline teacher stress and teacher burnout decrease. Despite the…

This qualitative study investigates the impact of the traditional multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) on Black and Brown students in high schools in the Northeastern United States. The MTSS framework, designed to monitor academic and social-emotional progress, has faced criticism for perpetuating disparities among historically marginalized…

The success of all students in schools, including students with learning differences, is contingent on how schools operationalize universally designed instruction, positive behavior support, and data-based decision-making for individualized and group-level interventions. When schools have fully functional multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)…

Trauma-informed care is a relatively new construct in K-12 education, and districts across the United States are seeking avenues to meet the needs of their students. The COVID-19 pandemic elevated the need for districts to develop appropriate supports to address student and adult trauma. Traumatic events can affect a child's mental, physical,…