To date, multiple U.S. states have passed legislation banning the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) and limiting teaching related to race, gender, CRT, and privilege under the umbrella term "divisive concepts." Against this backdrop, I argue that while CRT is not taught in schools, as a theory, it provides a crucial analytical and…

This study examined budgets for public school districts in New Jersey, changes in state aid allocation for schools following the implementation of New Jersey Senate Bill S-2 (S-2), and student academic performance based on standardized assessments. This study examined changes in student academic performance due to the implementation of S-2. This…

Active participation of youth and surrogate decision-makers in providing informed consent and assent for mental health treatment is critical. However, the procedural elements of an informed consent process, particularly for youth in child welfare custody, are not well defined. Given calls for psychotropic medication oversight for youth in child…

Christie Kaaland shares the journey of Washington state's school library legislative advocacy that has led to passage of eight legislative bills. The article stresses the importance of having a full legislative advocacy team including a lobbyist, knowledgeable practitioner advocates, and external champions.

Legislatures have banned CRT across many states in America, altering the country's campus climate. This case study surveys more than 200 students, faculty, and staff on campus to understand their points of view on CRT. The authors find a "pernicious polarization" dividing the university and suggest that university faculty consider a…

Some state legislatures have introduced a rash of bills designed to control how K-12 teachers discuss so-called 'divisive issues,' such as racism, sexism, and privilege. This legislation has prompted substantial news coverage on the impact of these laws. Sidelined in this discourse are the perspectives of teachers. This mixed methods study seeks…

The study explores how middle schools in Bergen County, New Jersey adapted their social studies curricula to include representation of LGBTQ persons, outlined by Chapter 35 of Title 18A:"35-4.35," in their curriculum, and investigated examples of lessons said to include examples of the mandate. This study sought to understand the impact…

Learning to read by the end of third grade is a pathway to a successful life (Keesler, 2019). Research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school and are ineligible for a majority of jobs in the United States (Hernandez,…

The U.S. Department of Education defines physical restraints as a restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability to move torso, arms, legs, or head freely. Because of the inherent dangers of physical restraints, their use is strictly regulated in most hospitals, prisons, and public law enforcement settings. Although students have died in…

At least 16 states have limited exclusionary discipline for elementary age students, but little is known about the effects of these policies on discipline rates and disproportionality. This paper tests whether a limit on exclusionary discipline in grades K-5 in Arkansas impacted the likelihood of suspension and expulsion overall, for different…

Anti-LGBTQ+ school legislation has proliferated across the United States in recent years, with potential consequences for both students and school counselors. Florida's controversial 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act offers one such example. In this descriptive, phenomenological, qualitative study, we examined the experiences of 10 Florida…

The 1971 passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution was a significant step in advancing voting rights that offered a new route for young people to participate in public life. While met with enthusiasm in many quarters, the question of where a substantial segment of the youth vote--college students--would cast their ballots was a…

In 2017, the Oregon Legislature enacted Senate Bill 13, known as Tribal History/Shared History. This bill was the culmination of decades of organizing and curriculum work by the nine federally recognized Tribes within Oregon. The law directs the Oregon Department of Education to develop a K-12 Native American curriculum in partnership with Oregon…

In 2021, Illinois became the first state in the United States to require that K-12 students learn about Asian American history. Illinois achieved this when lawmakers passed House Bill 376 (H.B. 376), colloquially known as the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act. H.B. 376 received praise for being the first legislation…

In recent years, dyslexia legislation and awareness has become more prevalent. Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder that affects a student's ability to read because they have deficits in their overall phonological awareness skills. While federal and state legislation has been passed regarding dyslexia, awareness surrounding dyslexia is still…