Secondary Education Commons^™

Whose Knowledge Is Sustained?: Dominican Students’ Cultural And Linguistic Experiences Navigating White, Female, And Monolingual Pedagogical Spaces, Carminia Lissette Castillo

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how Dominican newcomer youth experience schooling in U.S. secondary schools, with emphasis on language, curriculum, identity, belonging, and students’ visions for more humanizing educational environments. Grounded in student testimonios, the study explored how school structures, pedagogical practices, and teacher–student relationships shape students’ academic engagement, emotional well-being, and sense of recognition as they navigate migration, language transition, and racialized identity formation. Informed by raciolinguistic, culturally sustaining, and critical interpretive frameworks, this study centered Dominican students’ voices as sources of knowledge about schooling, exclusion, and possibility. The findings comprise three central themes. First, students described raciolinguistic schooling …

Adolescent Literacy: Bridging Literacy Gaps In Georgia's Social Studies Classrooms A Call For Disciplinary Literacy In Secondary Education, Kimberly N. Miles

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This article advocates integrating disciplinary literacy into secondary Social Studies instruction, arguing that the content area is critical to strengthening adolescent reading skills, particularly in alignment with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Drawing from the "Bridging Literacy Gaps" presentation, the paper asserts that literacy is not merely a prerequisite for studying history but the very methodology by which students learn to read, write, and think like historians.

The article details three high-leverage strategies for Social Studies educators:

1. Disciplinary Literacy and Multimodal Text Integration: Teaching students how experts analyze primary and secondary sources, and integrating diverse media (e.g., political cartoons, …

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Making Data Usable For Schools And Colleges: The Regional Data Collaboratives Approach, Benjamin Boer

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This white paper outlines a strategic initiative by the Education Systems Center (EdSystems) to establish regional data collaboratives that improve how schools and colleges use information. Unlike traditional top-down accountability models, these collaboratives focus on longitudinal data sharing to help administrators understand student transitions from ninth grade through postsecondary completion and into the workforce. The framework relies on four core competencies: legal data agreements, secure management, linking analytics, and meaningful presentation of results. By examining factors like dual credit, pathway participation, and 9th-grade performance, these partnerships aim to identify and eliminate educational inequities. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to create a …

Making The Case For Career Academies In Shaping Pre-Collegiate Students For Stem Career Pathways, Felix Quayson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Career academies are increasingly important in preparing pre-collegiate high school students for STEM pathways by connecting academic learning, technical skill development, career identity, and postsecondary readiness. STEM-focused career academies function as structured bridges between secondary education, higher education, and the labor market. Through small learning communities, interdisciplinary curricula, employer partnerships, work-based learning, and early exposure to college and career expectations, career academies help students understand STEM not only as school subjects but as possible futures. Research suggests that career academies can improve student engagement, support school persistence, and strengthen labor market outcomes when implemented with fidelity. The article concludes that …

Pa 146: What Is Clear, What Is Fuzzy, And What Should We Do Next?, Jenelle Williams, Nicole Peterson

Michigan Reading Journal

Michigan’s Public Act 146 (PA 146), the state’s K–12 Literacy and Dyslexia Law, establishes new requirements for screening, evidence-based instruction, structured literacy practices, professional learning, and strengthened multi-tiered systems of support to improve reading outcomes. While the law provides detailed and prescriptive guidance for elementary schools—particularly regarding decoding-focused instruction aligned to the science of reading, universal screening, and intervention planning—its implications for grades 4–12 are less clearly defined. This article examines what is explicit in the legislation, what remains open to interpretation in secondary contexts, and how districts can move forward strategically as they prepare for full implementation by 2027–2028. …

Assessing Media Literacy Competence In Secondary Education: Towards A Rubric Based On A Systematic Review, Steijn Jan Van Der Craats, Jason Simon, Romy Andrieu, Bo Sichterman, Stan Van Ginkel

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

Developing media literacy competence is an essential objective in secondary education. However, a validated instrument aimed to encourage the development of media literacy amongst students formatively is lacking hitherto. This review aims to identify relevant studies on media literacy competence or components thereof and their assessment strategies. Further, this study synthesizes these findings into a set of principles for constructing a formative assessment instrument fostering media literacy competence. Seventeen publications from the last 15 years were selected through a systematic search in scientific databases. All studies were categorized concerning crucial characteristics of assessment instruments. Furthermore, the synthesis of this study …

Understanding How Teachers Define And Employ Civics Education In Non-Elective Social Studies Classrooms, Joseph Kyle

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study explored the perceptions of civics and civic education held by secondary school teachers of non-elective social studies classes in four schools within the same school district. Using a qualitative approach, this study examined how veteran teachers understood and defined civics, the ways in which they employed civics education in their teaching methodology and daily lessons, and the challenges or obstacles they perceived, if any, incorporating lessons reflecting a progressive experimentalist methodology. The study was undertaken in response to popular and governmental rhetoric reflecting a lack of civil discourse and alleging a lack of civics in public education, as …

Multi-Dimensional Scaling Of Web-Scraping Results From The A.A Zalizniak Grammatical Dictionary And The Russian National Corpus. Creating A Corpus Fragment Of All Possible Word-Forms Of Modified Russian Sound Verbs Using Web-Scraping Methodology. Compilation Of A Summary Table For The Participle Forms, Irina V. Ivliyeva, Perry Koob

Research Data

English Abstract:

This study investigates the development of multi-dimensional morphological profiles of Russian verbs of sounds, namely their participles, by integrating web-scraping methodologies and advanced digital visualization tools that is convenient and effective for a linguistic researcher.

The study demonstrates the potential of combining computational techniques such as web-scraping and digital visualization to enrich the understanding of complex, multi-source lexicographic phenomena.  The main task at this stage of the research was to collect, compile (combine results), analyze and present a summary index of all participle forms of sound verbs, recorded in electronic versions of  A.A. Zalizniak Grammatical Dictionary of the …

Queer Ballroom In 1980s-90s New York City: Connections To Joy And Education, Maya A. Gary

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This master's thesis project delivers a concise history of the development of Queer Ballroom in the 1980s–1990s in Harlem, New York City, primarily focusing on low-income Black and Latino queer individuals and how they created spaces of belonging and joy during the HIV/AIDS crisis. This work illustrates how ballroom culture functioned as both a space of refuge and a network for mutual aid, outreach, and advocacy. In addition to the historical analysis, this project includes a free-to-use educational website and lesson plans aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for grades 6 and 11. This work demonstrates the importance of …

Ontario High School Teacher Perspectives On Failure: Bridging Policy And Practice, Dan Guadagnolo, Kelly Li, Klea Mosho, Megan Anderson, Nicole Laliberte, Fiona Rawle

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This study explores teacher perceptions of the role of failure in secondary school education. Our case study analysis, based on 23 interviews in Ontario, Canada, suggests secondary school teachers understand failure as a core element of the learning process. However, teachers do not feel they can easily use failure as a pedagogical tool. Teachers perceive Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines regarding student success to have created an institutional culture within which student failure is administratively burdensome and is framed as external to the learning process. These success narratives in government assessment guidelines have created a situation wherein teachers often feel …

A Practitioner’S Perspective On Teaching Ap Comparative Government And Politics, Edgar Díaz

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

In this paper, I share my perspective and experiences as an Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics teacher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. To engage students with the content and strengthen their literacy skills, I adopted the Teaching and Learning Cycle (TLC), a pedagogical framework for scaffolded instruction, in combination with technological tools. This article includes a sample lesson plan illustrating how the TLC was implemented in an AP Comp Gov course to support students’ content understanding and their ability to express their ideas through structured, purposeful writing. My goal is to highlight practical strategies for effectively …

A.I. And Education: The Relationship Between Policy And A.I. Implementation In Louisiana K-12 Schools, Johnny R. Moore Jr

Honors Theses

This research focuses on A.I. policies in Louisiana K-12 education, trying to figure out what the best possible policies would be to ensure that students are using A.I. as a tool rather than a crutch to rely on. This goes through the history and background of technology implementation and educational policies in Louisiana. The research focuses on current A.I. policies in the state, if any, and then evaluates other states policies around the country. Teachers and administrators from around the state were surveyed on this and were also asked on their opinions on A.I. in the classroom.

Partners In Pilgrimage: Transforming The Journey Of Adolescence By Guiding Teenagers Toward Faithful Lives, Redefining Success, And Cultivating Connection To God, Abigail R. Weaver

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Adolescence is a formative period in which young people seek meaning, identity, and belonging while navigating a complex array of cultural, social, and developmental pressures. In suburban American contexts, these pressures are intensified by competitive academic environments, demanding extracurricular commitments, and pervasive societal expectations that equate worth with achievement. Drawing from my experience as a youth minister in suburban United Methodist churches, this dissertation examines how such forces shape the spiritual and personal development of 15- to 18-year-olds and explores the Church’s role in guiding adolescents through this landscape with wisdom and care.

Grounded in the Christian tradition and informed …

What We Want The Decision Makers To Know About First-Generation College Student Success: Insights From Students’ Perspectives, Monique N. Legendre

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

One-third of all undergraduates in the U.S. are first-generation college students (FGCS) (Center for First-Generation Student Success, 2020). Due to barriers such as inequitable access to rigorous college preparatory programs and coursework, limited resources and access to college and career counseling, financial constraints, and a lack of college knowledge such as the expectations, norms, and language of higher education, FGCS often arrive less prepared for college than continuing-generation students, impacting first-generation student success and persistence in post-secondary education (Broadhurst et al., 2023; Campoverdi, 2023; Cataldi et al., 2018; Hamilton et al., 2016; Katrevich & Aruguete, 2017; Osborne, 2023; Pratt et …

Implementation Of Udl In Secondary Classrooms: A Capstone Project, Livia J. Mortensen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In today’s classrooms, students come from various backgrounds and may benefit from a variety of instructional approaches to meet their unique learning needs. Regardless of the need to tailor instruction for students, traditional teaching methods continue in classrooms but often fail to accommodate all the needs of our students. Many students, including students with disabilities, may struggle to engage with the standard curriculum that does not provide sufficient flexibility in instruction to reach all types of learners (Smith, 2012). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that seeks to address this specific issue by promoting inclusive teaching practices, …

Critical Improvisation: Black Secondary Graduates’ Experiences Of Student Voice, Lauren Malara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe Black secondary graduates’ experience of improvisational comedy through the framework of Student Voice. Amid silencing legislative bans in education, the study aimed to critically make meaning of participants’ shared experiences of Theater Games and provide insight into the critical applications of improvisation as a tool to develop student leaders. The study employed a hermeneutical phenomenological design, sampling six Black graduates that participated in improvisational courses as part of the secondary curriculum. Data collection included a demographic questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and participant journals. The findings of a thematic analysis indicate that improvisation developed …

The Impact Of Career And Technical Education Teacher Certification Preparation Programs On Student Industry-Based Certification Examinations, Kaneesha Chameka Celestin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are designed to prepare students for high-wage, high-demand industry jobs. However, there is limited research on Career and Technical Education teacher preparation programs (traditional, alternative, and industry-based) and the impact on student outcomes on industry-based examinations, such as ACT WorkKeys. This quantitative study analyzed Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher preparation programs (traditional, alternative, and industry-based) and 12th -grade students’ outcomes on the 2023-2024 ACT WorkKeys examination and whether relationships exist between the two. Additionally, the research examined each Career and Technical Education teacher certification preparation program individually to determine the differences among traditional, …

Building Bridges: Evaluating Teacher Preparation And Program Activation Of Ethnic Studies In California’S K-12 High Schools Through An Autoethnography, Jose Aguilera-Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of secondary Social Science educators teaching Ethnic Studies in the early stages of program activation, with particular attention to the challenges that are often invisible to policymakers, institutions of higher education, and K-12 school districts. Using an autoethnographic approach, the research examines key elements of Ethnic Studies Program Activation, including infrastructure support, capacity building, professional development led by experienced Ethnic Studies practitioners, and teaching with fidelity. The findings aim to provide actionable guidance for educators and district leaders to support new Ethnic Studies teachers at the secondary level and to inform leadership teams at …

Moving Beyond Willpower: A New Direction For Media Literacy Instruction, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Academic librarians and others often engage with media literacy instruction by promoting fact-checking strategies, such as lateral reading or Mike Caulfield’s SIFT. Evidence shows that these strategies are valuable and can be effective, but they all ultimately rely on individual students to use willpower to overcome cognitive habits, biases, strong parasocial relationships with content creators, the power of algorithms, and other challenges to fact-checking content in the moment. This paper offers an alternative approach that instead encourages librarians to support students in intentionally redesigning their information environments to improve the quality of information that they encounter in the first place.

Understanding And Evaluating The Impact Of Pathway Programs, Benjamin Boer

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

A brief by Educatoin Systems Center (EdSystems) on the outcomes and lessons learned from the data collection processes and analysis for the Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology (AMP-IT) initiative, including an overview of the scaling of IT college and career pathways in the participating school districts, an understanding of the “milestones” that students meet prior to graduation, and how these milestones can be used to evaluate the program and assess longer-term outcomes. Additionally, the summary explores the challenges faced in collecting data and how EdSystems is adapting its data collection and analysis approach to improve understanding and evaluation of …

The Impact Of The Accelerated Model Pathways For Information Technology (Amp-It) Initiative, Meagan Mitchell Phd

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This report from Education Systems Center details the impact and strategic outcomes of the Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology (AMP-IT) initiative. Launched to strengthen Illinois' IT talent pipeline, the initiative focuses on expanding dual credit coursework, work-based learning, and strategic partnerships between school districts, higher education, and industry.

Don’T Tell Me How To Fact-Check; Show Me, And Let Me Try! A Media Literacy Intervention With Sixth-Graders, Thomas Nygren, Carl-Anton Werner Axelsson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study examines how different educational approaches related to "Fria Ordets Dag" (Free Speech Day), a media literacy program by the Swedish public service, affect the ability of 859 sixth-graders to evaluate news and misinformation. Findings indicate that verbal instructions from a professional fact-checker and animations to model online fact-checking were less effective than demonstrative, authentic video tutorials. Feedback and practice were also important. The intervention yielded mixed outcomes on students’ attitudes towards credible news sources, pointing to the necessity for educational designs that bolster fact-checking and source trust. The research emphasizes how large-scale school interventions to promote students’ navigation …

Implementing Retrieval And Distributed Practice In A Rotating Block Schedule: Boosting Students’ Memory And Metacognition, Terra A. Caputo, Kaitlyn C. Hoffmann, Cindy Reagan, Guy D. Savastano, Brandon J. Foster, Kathryn Hallal, Kristin Miller-Gecsi, Thomas A. Yarcusko

Journal of Catholic Education

An all-boys secondary Jesuit Catholic school in the Midwest, recently transitioned to a rotating block schedule with the goal of supporting deeper learning for all students. Though the transition to longer class meetings helped achieve this goal, less frequent class meetings presented a new challenge in that it tended to exacerbate the natural “forgetting curve.” Retrieval practice, one of the most widely cited high-impact learning strategies to boost student memory, is most beneficial when used alongside spaced practice. A team of teachers implemented and tested the impacts of retrieval and distributed practice on memory in a rotating block schedule. Our …

Apprenticing Towards Deeper Learning In The Ela Classroom: Using Young Adult Literature To Support Students’ Mastery, Identity, And Creativity, Julianna Kershen, Kacy M. Price, Nynke Wimp, Evie Jackson, Kaitlin Rogers

Virginia English Journal

This practitioner focused article highlights the perspectives of pre-service teachers and undergraduate researchers investigating the kinds of learning interactions and instructional decisions that result in deeper learning outcomes for high school students. Deeper learning outcomes are often described as 21^st century skills, including mastery learning, support of holistic and scholarly student identities, and the ability to engage collaboratively with critical and creative problem-solving skills. The authors suggest a series of young adult literature texts that can serve as springboards into project-based learning opportunities that provide authentic and real world-connected activities, iterative cycles of learning, peer-peer collaboration, and in-depth disciplinary …

Strengthening Students' Political Thinking Skills By Researching The Annexation Of Texas, Rebecca Macon Bidwell, Jeremiah Clabough

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The unit plan in this manuscript uses best practices from the C3 Framework published by the National Council for the Social Studies and Wayne Journell’s ideas about political thinking to engage students in discussion of the politics leading to the nomination of Governor James K. Polk as the Democratic Party nominee for president in the U.S. 1844 presidential election. Students explore the impact of candidates’ views of the annexation of Texas during this election as well as the influence of President Jackson on the nomination process in the Democratic Party. Ultimately, the election pitted Governor James K. Polk, the dark …

Hitler Must Be Killed: A Wwii Case Study, Jeffrey Byford, Presley Shilling, Alisha Milam

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies education during the 1960s experienced an educational renaissance known as the new social studies movement. Over 50 projects were funded by the National Science Foundation or private corporations to interject a student-centered curriculum into K-12 classrooms during this period. Nearly 60 years later, can student-centered decision-making activities be used in an era of high-stakes testing and planned curriculum? This article attempts to rekindle students' interest in decision-making and discussion by exploring elements in Moral Reasoning: The Value of Life from the Harvard Social Studies Project (HSSP). The activity called "Hitler Must Be Killed" helped students bring the content …

Reimagining Civic Readiness: Middle School Teachers’ Definition And Perceptions Of The Importance Of Civic Readiness, Razak K. Dwomoh

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article examines how middle school social studies teachers define “civic readiness,” how teacher motivation shapes civics instruction, and why middle-level civics is integral to engaged citizenship. The paper presents teachers as “curricular instructional gatekeepers” and argues that civic readiness (preparedness/willingness) differs significantly from civic competence (mastery) in terms of meaning, scope, and outcomes, proposing a four-staged pathway from readiness to engagement, then development, and finally to competence. It further provides an overview of three interrelated concepts (academic readiness, college readiness, and career readiness) to juxtapose civic readiness within the larger literary discourse. The …

Understanding Educators' Perspectives On Universal Design For Learning In Co-Taught Elementary And Middle School Classrooms, Biancha Dipaola

JWU Dissertations & Theses

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that encourages educators to proactively identify and address any potential barriers to learning before a lesson or concept is taught. UDL’s inclusive framework offers strategies for enhancing student engagement, representation, and action and expression, yet research on educators’ perspectives on UDL and its implementation in co-taught classrooms is limited. The literature identifies the lack of educator knowledge on neuroscience (Lopes et al., 2022), inadequate professional development (Chu et al., 2020), and systemic challenges such as common planning time and administrative support (Zhang et al., 2024) as barriers to implementing UDL, but …

Leveraging The Intersection Of Ai And Play To Foster Human Connectedness And Character Formation, Lori B. Doyle, Ashley Brandon

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The benefits of fostering character formation are vast, encompassing psychological, social and emotional growth, yet there is no universally prescribed manner by which to proceed. Central to these efforts is human connectedness, which enhances psychological functioning and provides a pivotal foundation for well-being. Emerging factors such as integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the pedagogy of play are novel topics for the conversation within the character formation discourse. These elements, while tangentially related, hold significant potential to amplify character formation and sense of belonging. This paper examines the intersection of AI, pedagogy of play, and character formation through a theoretical …

Greater Newark Stem Ecosystem - 2026 Convening - Small Group Outcomes & Action Plan, Brad Schenker

STEM for Success Showcase

In January 2026, GNSE convened ecosystem partners for a co-design session focused on identifying shared challenges, opportunities, and near-term actions to strengthen STEM education and career-connected learning. Participants engaged in small-group discussions to surface barriers, enablers, and potential areas for coordinated action.