With the first issue of volume 55, we inaugurate the year 2026. This issue brings together ten studies from the miscellaneous section that address challenges in contemporary education across multiple contexts and educational levels. The contributions originate from various countries and address topics related to research on educational innovation, competence development, educational assessment, and educational practices in primary and secondary education. Using diverse methodological approaches, the articles explore themes such as educational relationships and teachers’ pedagogical knowledge in rural contexts, the design and validation of instruments to assess emotional, social, and key competences, early literacy interventions, service-learning, early school leaving, and second-chance education from a gender perspective, as well as the use of digital technologies and teachers’ professional development.