Education Practice Briefs
The Division 15 Practice Committee is pleased to present the following Practice Briefs, which have been curated to provide evidence-based guidance for educators, principals, superintendents, and other education stakeholders. These briefs are 2-page PDFs that are easy to print or share electronically. If you have any suggestions for topics to be addressed in future briefs, please contact Alysia Roehrig at [email protected]. If you would like to write a brief, please see our call for proposals here.
Educational Psychology is the science of development, learning, identity, motivations, and emotions in all learning-related environments, such as homes, preschools, K-12 classrooms, universities, online education, museums, workplaces, sports, and hobbies. Researchers examine cultural, emotional, and environmental influences on individuals’ and groups’ learning and teaching. The field of educational psychology serves to define, explain, and improve formal and informal learning within all contexts.
Centering Black Adolescent Girls’ Voices: Strategies to Prevent Disproportionate Discipline
By Aisha N. Griffith, PhD, Jean K. Sack, Justyce Harris, So Jung Lee, & Bradley Crimmins.
Positive youth-adult relationships are critical in schools, yet staff commonly interact negatively with Black girls in ways that promote disproportionate discipline. Informed by a project centering the voices of Black adolescent girls, this 2-part series of briefs discusses what girls experience day-to-day with school adults in their own words and provides research-informed suggestions to positively transform these relationships. Part 1 zooms in on the role of adults working directly with Black girls in secondary schools. Part 2 underscores how educational leaders of secondary schools and districts are critical in establishing structures that support equitable learning experiences and foster positive youth-adult interactions for Black adolescent girls. Together the briefs point to how school adults interact in ways that can ultimately support or hinder Black girls’ positive identity development during adolescence.
Cite These Briefs:
Part 1:
Griffith, A.N., Sack, J.K., Lee, S., Crimmins, B., & Harris, J. (2024). Centering Black adolescent girls’ voices: Strategies to prevent disproportionate discipline (Part 1) (Practice Brief Vol. 5, No. 1). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Div15_PositiveIdentityDevPart1_3.25.24.pdf
Part 2:
Griffith, A.N., Sack, J.K., & Harris, J. (2024). Centering Black adolescent girls’ voices: Strategies to prevent disproportionate discipline (Part 2) (Practice Brief Vol. 5, No. 2). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Div15_PositiveIdentityDevPartII_3.25.24.pdf
Promoting Students’ Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in Classrooms
By Huy Nguyen, MA and Chris Wolters, PhD
Self-regulated learning is associated with positive learning and motivational outcomes, but it is not a skillset that is often taught or promoted in school. This brief synthesizes theory and evidence from educational psychology to provide educators with actionable practices to help students become more motivated, engaged, and self-regulated learners.
Cite This Brief:
Nguyen, H. & Wolters, C. (2023). Promoting Students’ Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in Classrooms (Practice Brief Vol. 4, No. 3). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Div15_PromotingSLR.pdf
Relational Accountability Within Restorative Justice: Promoting Healing, Learning, And Growth
By Gabriel Velez, PhD; Jean Sack, MA; Laura Pareja Conto, MA; Kara Beckman, MA; and Holly Recchia, PhD.
Growing empirical research has demonstrated widespread negative outcomes associated with punitive and zero tolerance approaches to handling discipline and conflict in K-12 school settings. In contrast, engaging students in reflective, relational, and dialogical processes offers a different vision more in line with what we know about positive social and moral development. This brief draws on developmental science to promote concrete strategies for using restorative practices in alignment with children’s social-emotional learning needs and an inclusive approach to accountability.
Cite This Brief:
Velez, G., Sack, J., Pareja Conto, L., Beckman, K, & Recchia, H. (2023). Relational Accountability Within Restorative Justice: Promoting Healing, Learning, and Growth (Practice Brief Vol. 4, No. 2). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Div15RestorativeJustice.pdf
Cultivating Teacher Resilience: Lessons Learned From The Pandemic
By Inaya Jaafar, Ed.D. & Tim Pressley, Ph.D.
In the aftermath of an emergency or disaster, school leaders play a critical role in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms teachers may be experiencing and in reducing teacher burnout. By utilizing aspects of psychological first aid, school leaders can help teachers cope and adapt to meet their students’ growing needs. This brief highlights the current state of education and practical ways school leaders can cultivate resilience and support teachers in challenging times.
Cite This Brief:
Jaafar, I. & Pressley, T. (2023). Cultivating Teacher Resilience: Lessons Learned From the Pandemic (Practice Brief Vol. 4, No. 1). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Practice-Brief-Cultivating-Teacher-Resilience.pdf
Building Trauma-Informed Schools
By Dr. Ramona I. Grad, Dr. Christopher Thomas, Dr. Staci Zolkoski, & Dr. Sarah Sass
Building trauma-informed schools starts with an understanding of how trauma can impact students’ learning and behavior. With this approach, all who come in contact with students think about what student behavior may be telling them, therefore they reflect on their practices to find ways to better support students who may be experiencing trauma. This practice brief offers insight into how trauma may impact learning and behavior and offers practical strategies for building trauma-informed schools.
Cite This Brief:
Grad, R.I., Thomas, C., Zolkoski, S., & Sass, S. (2022). Building Trauma-Informed Schools (Practice Brief Vol. 3, No. 2). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Trauma-Informed-Schools-Division-15-Practice-Brief.pdf
Trauma Informed Teaching Practices: Teaching Self-Regulation Through Mindfulness
By Donald D. Matthews, Psy.D.
Trauma affects the developing brain of a child causing a multitude of challenges related to coping, learning, and thriving. Children who experience trauma may also demonstrate difficulties in school related to attention and emotional regulation, language processing, and academic learning. Trauma-informed practices use knowledge about trauma and its expression to modify support for children to improve their developmental success. This practice brief describes how mindfulness can be used as a trauma-informed practice to support self-regulation.
Cite This Brief:
Matthews, D. (2022). Trauma Informed Teaching Practices: Teaching Self-Regulation Through Mindfulness (Practice Brief Vol. 3, No. 1). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Practice-Brief-Trauma-Informed-Teaching-Practices.pdf
How White, Middle Class Teachers Can Apply Psychology to Teach Students Who are Different From Them
Dr. Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman & Dr. Krystal Thomas
Virtually all teachers and educators want their students to reach their fullest potential. However, the human mind is imperfect and all people (even educators) carry biases that can prevent their students from succeeding in school and beyond. This practice brief offers strategies for teachers to address the unconscious biases they may carry.
Cite This Brief:
Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., & Thomas, K. (2021). How White, middle class teachers can apply psychology to teach students who are different from them (Practice Brief Vol. 2, No. 2). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Practice-Brief-Rimm-Kaufman-Thomas.pdf
Revisiting Family Involvement
By Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson
Family involvement is significant to learning and student achievement. Parents and guardians who give educational support at home and in school, while working together with teachers, increase the chances of their children thriving academically. This practice brief offers insights for school personnel as they work with families to tackle the long-term effects of COVID-19 on learners.
Cite This Brief:
Williams-Johnson, M. (2021). Revisiting family involvement (Practice Brief Vol. 2, No. 1). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Revisiting-Parental-Involvement-A-Division-15-Practice-Brief.pdf
Motivating Diverse Learners Using Culturally Relevant & Responsive Education
By Makana K. Craig & Dr. Alysia D. Roehrig
Addressing the motivational and learning needs of diverse students requires adapting educational strategies. Multicultural education, culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, and self-determination theories share similarities that can be leveraged to support all students’ motivation to learn.
Cite This Brief:
Craig, M.K., & Roehrig, A.D. (2020). Motivating diverse learners using culturally relevant and responsive education (Practice Brief Vol. 1, No. 3). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/D15-Practice-Brief-Motivating-Diverse-Learners-2.pdf
Homeschooling Under Quarantine
By Dr. Debra Bell & Dr. Avi Kaplan
Whether in normative times, or at a time of pandemic, designing home life that includes homeschooling is challenging. It means and looks different for every household, and the design should change as people grow and circumstances shift.
Cite This Brief:
Bell, D., & Kaplan, A. (2020). Homeschooling under quarantine (Practice Brief Vol. 1, No. 1). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Homeschooling-Under-Quarantine.pdf
Addressing Teacher Evaluation Appropriately
By Dr. Alyson L. Lavigne & Dr. Thomas L. Good
Given the importance of teachers, there has been intense interest in improving and evaluating teachers. Yet, many current measures of teaching effectiveness are flawed. They fail to adequately account for the content, complexity, and the variance in teacher effectiveness and practice. Because of this, teacher evaluations often yield erroneous information about the quality of teaching and student learning and do nothing to enhance student achievement.
Cite This Brief:
Lavigne, A.L., & Good, T.L. (2020). Addressing teacher evaluation appropriately (Practice Brief Vol. 1, No. 2). American Psychological Association Division 15 Educational Psychology. https://apadiv15.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/D15-Practice-Brief-Teacher-Evaluation.pdf