"The Upstart Great Plains TASK Force: Taking All to Success in Kindergarten" was a five-year Education, Innovation and Research (EIR) expansion grant (U411A180001) funded through the US Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Four research studies were conducted during the grant period of 2018 to 2023: a…

Character development is part of the educational process. The current literature examining the cultural influences and educational strategies that have an impact on character development has shown certain gaps, particularly in the context of Guinea, West Africa. These include the lack of a framework and model for character development from this…

High school sport has often been considered a viable context for promoting youth development of life skills and character (Turgeon et al., 2019). So much so that key stakeholders, including coaches and athletic directors, have been charged with meeting the mission statements of these education-based sport programs (Camire et al., 2009). However,…

The aim of the study is to examine the correlation between innate (neuroticism and openness) and environmental (self-esteem and emotional regulation strategies) personality traits and the attitudes' assessment toward active listening (AL) among early childhood educators in Israel. Accordingly, this study presents a multipath analysis model…

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental health of young children, and schools are being tasked with providing greater support for their emotional well-being. While gratitude practices have proven beneficial for the mental health of adults, less is known about the efficacy of their use in promoting positive character…

School district administrators must address structural racism and inequitable access to advanced learning opportunities in their school districts. District administrators in one large district in the northwestern part of the United States sought research-based advice by asking the authors to provide the answer to the "million-dollar"…

Research has shown links between parent-child emotion reminiscing and socio-emotional outcomes, yet little research has investigated why parents talk about emotions with their children and how this relates to children's development. The purpose of this study was to explore how parents' self-reported goals and observed behavior in emotion…

This paper measures parents' beliefs about school and peer quality, how information about each affects school choices, and how social interactions mediate these effects. Parents underestimate school quality and overestimate peer quality. Cross-randomized school and peer quality information combined with a spillover design shows that when parents…

Limited research is available on the acceptability of comprehensive sex education for economically marginalized Black youth. The current evaluation study collected quantitative self-report data from 109 high-school-aged predominately Black or African American economically marginalized youth after completing a comprehensive sex education program.…

Caregivers play an important role in the development of talent in high-potential children, however, limited research exists on their observations and perceptions of their child's development. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine caregivers' perceptions of the social and emotional characteristics of gifted children in grades K-3.…

The EdResearch for Action "Overview Series" summarizes the research on key topics to provide K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students. This brief discusses the central question: How can schools and districts promote the educational and social-emotional…

Peer mentoring is a widely employed strategy in higher education to foster student development and integration. However, the effectiveness of peer mentoring in higher education lacks well-established statements. A systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy of peer mentoring during the initial phase of academic studies. This review…

With growing attention attached to young students' social and emotional well-being besides their cognitive development, social and emotional learning (SEL) has been increasingly researched in general school education over the past decades with its positive effects on academic performance reported. However, SEL research has not emerged in English…

This mixed-methods study analyzes the perspectives of educators in middle school regarding the impact of cell phones in the middle school environment. Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory of cognitive development along with opportunity theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979) provide insight regarding implications related to accessing personal devices…

Exploring what is known about social and emotional learning as it applies to the educational landscape.