The insights that the research participants shared are instructive in a myriad of ways. Firstly, it is worth considering that in order to reduce school-related student stress, we may agree to standardize certain practices, procedures, and policies when it comes to grading, assessment, and homework. Teachers can and should function as individuals, and as a collective there should be consistency. Reducing the cognitive load that a student has to contend because of the variety grading, assessment, and homework expectations from various teachers adds to the notion of “playing the game of school” rather than concentrating on mastery learning. All solutions ought to be research-based, teacher developed, and student consulted in order to shift culture and gain currency at DLSHS.

Secondly, an additional area where teachers can alleviate the cognitive load on students is to pace similarly across courses by aligning content so that students can engage with a consistent educational experience across disciplines. This form of cross curricular or multi disciplinary engagement can positively encourage students to see the value of what they are learning, which may in turn provide the added benefit of seeing the relevance of assignments.

Thirdly, additional professional development in the areas of grading and assessment and uses of homework may help to increase the pedagogical toolbox of our faculty. From the collected data, it appears that most teachers are aware of these 21^st century educational practices but perhaps need to acquire a depth understanding in order to properly enact or change practices.

Finally, a teacher suggested, “what if we created personal learning profiles to encourage students to begin metacognitively understanding their own learning processes?” This action may have the benefit of allowing students to better understand themselves, and thus help with self-efficacy, self-advocacy, and self-mastery of their learning.