Institutions of higher education have mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for students wishing to return to an on-campus, in-person learning experience. However, some groups have expressed a hesitancy to be vaccinated, while others are unsure about the vaccine's side effects and/or efficacy. Yet, an under-researched aspect of COVID-19 vaccinations and…

The authors feel there is a need of a new and different kind of classroom conversation about free speech--one that not only considers the legal and aspirational dimensions but also weighs the practice and impact of speech in daily life. Two factors make this new conversation particularly urgent. First, the avalanche of social media communication,…

In this study, we examined the longitudinal effect of the free semester system on middle school students' academic achievement and career maturity using the Korean Education Longitudinal Study data, cohort 2013. We performed Difference-in-Difference (DiD) method to analyze whether the free semester system has effects on academic achievement and…

To mark the ten year anniversary since the introduction of the free schools programme, New Schools Network (NSN) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to conduct an independent data-led investigation into what impact free schools have had since their introduction in 2010. The research examines the impact that free…

In these fraught, divisive times, K-12 educators have an opportunity to make a profound contribution to students' academic, intellectual, and civic maturity by giving civil, purposeful discussion the priority it deserves. With reading and writing, discussion is a co-equal leg of the tripod of literacy. By engaging in frequent discussions of…

The modality effect refers to the robust finding that memory performance differs for items presented aurally, as compared with visually. Whereas auditory presentation leads to stronger recency performance in immediate recall, visual presentation often produces better primacy performance (the inverse modality effect). To investigate and model these…

Technology can assist instructional designers and teachers in meeting the needs of learners in traditional classrooms and virtual course environments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers and instructional designers began looking for resources they could use for hybrid and online course delivery. Many found that the cost of some technology…

Teachers have a key role in promoting Critical Thinking (CT). However, research on appropriate teaching methods for developing CT is scarce in primary education. This study investigated how CT can be fostered among pupils based on teachers' perceptions of the characteristics that promote CT and create obstacles in primary schools. We interviewed…

When Daisy Han first encountered a Montessori classroom, she actually felt free. Free to move, free to create, free to explore, free to try, free to fail, free to be. This freedom is essential to becoming an innovator. Innovators possess an irreverence almost as big as their self-efficacy, both of which have been nurtured in an environment where…

This instrumental case study explores and theorizes on the educational potential and value of free collaborative vocal improvisation, a process that enables equal access to music regardless of musical skills. The focus of the article is on the musical activities of an adult choir in Finland that applied tenets from improvisational theatre to…

Using Hirschi's social bonds theory as a foundation, this study examines the effects of at-risk students' school bonds on their classroom behaviour. In this article, school bonds are defined as the students' attachment to teachers/staff, students' affiliation to the school, students' belief in the fairness of the school rules and students'…

Introduction: An association between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoke-free private spaces among smokers could be due to heavier smoking among low SES smokers. We assessed whether quantity smoked or SES are independently associated with smoke-free homes or cars in daily smokers. Method: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional telephone survey…

The challenges that campuses face when it comes to free speech and inclusion are part of a larger debate in the United States over the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. Since 2021, Republican state lawmakers have introduced an avalanche of "educational gag orders"--legislation to ban a vague set of so-called divisive…

In special education, medication often plays a critical role in meeting the needs of students with disabilities. The use of medications in schools, however, can be a problem when state laws and federal law conflict regarding the use of a medication, in this situation, medical marijuana. This column reports on a ruling by the U.S. District Court in…

Educators have a critical role in enhancing children's play interests within the classroom by determining the actions and context of their play. This study examined personal and professional characteristics associated with educators' self-reported play engagement preferences using a sample of Greek early childhood educators. One hundred…