Studies show that teacher turnover has a negative impact on students’ academic performance, but little is known about other ways that their departures affect student behavior. In a new study of New York City public schools, researchers found that teacher turnover is linked to higher rates of student suspensions and requests from teachers seeking disciplinary action, known as office disciplinary referrals (ODR).

Starting kindergarten is a big step for young children. It can also be a key time to spot which students might need some extra help with that life transition. Therefore, a new, free screening tool, created by researchers at the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development, is designed to help kindergarten teachers quickly identify which students could benefit from extra academic or social-emotional support — before small challenges become potential long-term setbacks later in life. Intended to take just 10-15 minutes per class, the simple three-question screener asks teachers to rate each child’s academic and social-behavioral progress on a 0-to-4 scale (poor-excellent).