Despite growing interest in feedback strategies for school improvement in Ghana, learner perspectives—especially at the senior high school level—remain underexplored. This gap limits understanding of the effectiveness of learner feedback in driving meaningful change. Guided by contingency theory, which underscores the need for context-responsive leadership, this qualitative case study examined how principals in Ghana’s most cosmopolitan city perceived learner feedback as a school improvement strategy. Twelve principals—the entire cohort within the study area—were purposively selected and interviewed, and the data were analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that participants acknowledged the value of learner feedback in enhancing student engagement, fostering continuous improvement, and promoting responsible citizenship. However, they also raised significant concerns. Key challenges included perceived unreliability of student input, time and financial constraints, and resistance from both staff and students. These findings highlight the complex leadership decisions involved in implementing learner feedback systems in resource-constrained environments. The study offers context-specific insights for school leaders and policymakers seeking to integrate learner voice in school governance. It underscores the need for leadership development, policy support, and resource allocation to strengthen the role of learner feedback in enhancing school practices and improving student outcomes.

Traditional assessment design focuses on outcomes and often disregards how students perceive their abilities, process emotions, or self-express. This indifference can undermine assessment outcomes and evaluation reliability (Hattie, 2023; Nilson, 2023; Reibel 2022). This paper introduces empathetic assessment design (EAD), a framework that reframes assessment as an event to simultaneously understand the student while evaluating their abilities to provide more precise grading and improved support. EAD integrates cognitive (self-evaluation), emotional (appraisal of emotional reactions and mindsets), and relational (self-expression) dimensions, enriching assessments with experiential insights. The information resulting from the EAD design provides context for outcomes and helps teachers assess the adequacy of student thinking, affective reactions, and needs. Despite concerns about workload and rigor, EAD builds on established theories—Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1997), Joe Feldman’s Grading for Equity (2018), and funds of knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995, 2021; Moll, 2015, 2019)—to create more insightful assessments. EAD complements equitable grading practices, gathering students’ real-time experiential information (Blum, 2020; Colby, 2019; Clark & Talbert, 2023; Feldman, 2018). While experts (Hattie, 2023, 2018; Schimmer, 2016; Wiliam, 2011) advocate for self-assessment and reflection, they often position these outside the assessment itself. But EAD embeds them within assessments, capturing in-the-moment insights to make evaluation more meaningful and illuminating.

The present study incorporates the emerging concept of workplace spirituality into the domains of job stress and happiness at work. These constructs have received limited attention in the context of the educational sector. Therefore, the aim of this study was to fill this research gap by examining the associations between workplace spirituality, job stress, and happiness at work. Moreover, the study investigated whether job stress plays a mediating role in the relationship between workplace spirituality and happiness at work. A cross-sectional research design was employed, and data were gathered from a sample of 300 school teachers. Three scales were utilized to measure workplace spirituality, job stress, and happiness at work. The data analysis revealed a positive correlation between workplace spirituality and happiness at work. However, the mediation analysis indicated that job stress does not serve as a mediator in the relationship between workplace spirituality and happiness at work. Moreover, to reduce job stress, compassion plays a great role, which is one of the components of workplace spirituality. Based on these findings, it is recommended that educational institutions adopt workplace spirituality practices to foster a conducive work environment that promotes the well-being and happiness of teachers, thereby positively impacting the teaching process.

The Science of Reading (SOR) movement puts administrators in a difficult position since they must navigate a wide range of educational stakeholders—students, teachers, parents, board members, political leaders, and the public. This discussion offers a broad but detailed overview of the problems created for administrators by the SOR movement (i.e., systematic phonics, teacher quality, reading programs, reading proficiency, and social justice/equity). This overview is followed by a series of new (and better) approaches for school administrators to become more effective instructional leaders of reading and advocates for addressing individual student needs and supporting teacher professionalism.

Organizational climate refers to the shared perceptions of behavior, the work environment, and daily life within an organization. This study is based on the assumption that, due to their differing roles and responsibilities in preschools, teachers and principals have significantly different perceptions of the organizational climate. The sample included 354 teachers and 410 principals from the Czech Republic. Data were collected using the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire-P, a tool adapted and validated for the preschool setting. Overall, both teachers and principals viewed the preschool climate positively, with item averages above the midpoint of the scale. However, principals perceived their support for teaching staff significantly more positively than teachers did, and they also rated teacher involvement more favorably than the teachers themselves. Teachers reported encountering inappropriate behavior from colleagues infrequently and rated the level of directiveness from principals relatively low, suggesting they perceive their principals' leadership style positively. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between teachers' education levels and their perception of principal directiveness, as well as with school size.

The term rigor in education often evokes resistance due to its inconsistent definitions and widespread misconceptions. This study introduces and validates the RIGOR Walk framework, a research- and practitioner-informed tool designed to define, observe, and enhance rigorous learning environments across classrooms. The framework is grounded in five core components—Relationships, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance—each supported by observable indicators aimed at promoting deep thinking, academic risk-taking, and meaningful engagement. Following iterative rounds of expert feedback, the framework was refined and validated in three phases: (1) establishing face validity through crowdsourced expert critique, (2) analyzing internal consistency and construct validity via 84 classroom observations, and (3) examining concurrent validity through correlations with student reading growth data. Results indicate high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ≥ .81) and moderate, statistically significant correlations between framework implementation and the percentage of students demonstrating one year or more of reading growth (r = .42–.68, p < .001). These findings suggest the RIGOR Walk framework is a reliable and valid tool for identifying and fostering rigorous, equitable, and high-impact instructional practices. Implications for broader content-area applications and longitudinal consistency of implementation are discussed.

The California College and Career Readiness measures are new to the California school accountability dashboard, and few studies have examined how these data connect to student outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to determine the degree of relationship between school protective factors (i.e., caring relationships and meaningful participation), student internal assets (i.e., student academic motivation), and College and Career Readiness Indicator outcomes. The resilience youth development module (RYDM) framework served as the model to determine the degree of relationship among these variables. The sample for this study included comprehensive, public high schools across California, including only schools that administered the California Healthy Kids Survey in the 2019–2020 school year (n = 474). Public data files were accessed from the California Accountability Dashboard and California Healthy Kids Survey. The correlational coefficients were determined using multiple regression analysis. A positive correlation between school protective factors and student internal assets was shown after controlling for schoolwide socioeconomic status. Although both school protective factors and student internal assets significantly predicted College and Career Readiness Indicator outcomes, caring adult relationships were the only positively correlated variable after controlling for socioeconomic status. Further research is recommended to explain how students define caring adult relationships and how schools can enhance practices to cultivate those relationships across all student populations. Additionally, the researchers recommend future studies to assess how the change in college and career indicators over time could assess trends and garner more information about the school supports that positively impact proficiency.

Past research examining mentoring programs has explained the benefits that student mentees received from having an adult as a mentor. For the mentee, studies indicate that mentoring relationships positively influence academic performance, social attitudes, communication abilities, and career aspirations. However, there has been very little research from the perspective of the mentor regarding their experiences of being in a mentoring relationship. This study builds upon Berning’s (2013) research that extracted the thoughts and opinions of retiree and teen mentors who worked with elementary students. The Berning report recommended that further research study adults involved in the workplace who spent their off time serving as mentors. This study addresses this gap by surveying 69 adult business professionals mentoring high school students in San Antonio, Texas. The survey revealed four central themes: 1) both mentors and mentees require high motivation for a successful relationship, with mentors often motivated by personal fulfillment; 2) mentors are driven by a commitment to give back to the community despite most lacking prior mentoring experience; 3) there is significant interest in mentor training to enhance program effectiveness; and 4) mentors generally enjoy the program, showing high willingness to continue, inclination to recommend it, and satisfaction with a monthly meeting schedule. Successful mentors are active listeners who engage their mentees by setting clear, aligned goals, while gaining the added benefits of enhanced communication and leadership skills through their mentoring roles.