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Teachers report a need for professional development in order to feel more confident and be more effective in providing writing instruction and intensive intervention to support middle school students. This study investigates the impacts of online practice-based professional development (PBPD) and coaching for self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) argumentative writing instruction on teachers' implementation of the instruction. Using a pre-test–post-test design, the study also examined the effects of the SRSD instruction on students' argumentative writing from source texts. Five middle school teachers from three regions across the United States participated in the PBPD and implemented SRSD with 55 middle school students with high-incidence disabilities or below-proficient writing skills. Following PBPD, teachers implemented the SRSD argumentative writing instruction with high adherence to dosage, fidelity of implementation, and quality. Student writing was scored for argumentative genre elements, holistic quality, total words written, and transition words. Results demonstrate that students improved on all measures. In addition, students reported feeling confident in their argumentative writing abilities. Teachers and students reported high social validity for the intervention. The benefits found in this research study provide a strong foundation supporting the application of comprehensive online PBPD with follow-up coaching to support teacher implementation of SRSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth mindset has been shown to predict academic achievement in a variety of student populations, though the strength of the relationship can vary depending on the characteristics of the students examined. Using a large-scale sample of middle school students from a diverse district in the United States, we examine how multiple facets of students' experiences and background characteristics may interact to impact the relation between mindset and academic achievement. We consider whether the risk factors of socioeconomic status (including a student's daily experience of that status) and recent school transition interacted with mindset in predicting academic achievement. We show that mindset is most predictive of academic achievement in students with two academic risk factors. These results highlight the importance of context when considering how mindset might be used to improve academic achievement for students at the greatest academic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Research shows associations between bullying victimization and substance use for teens. However, more research about this relationship for younger adolescents and across race/ethnicity is needed. METHODS: Prevalence and pooled logistic regression analyses of 2019 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 13 states (N = 74,059 students) examined associations between self‐reported bulling victimization (at school, electronically, and both) and having ever tried cigarette smoking, alcohol, or marijuana; used an electronic vapor product; or misused prescription pain medicine. Regression analyses were adjusted by age and sex/race/ethnicity. RESULTS: All 3 measures of bullying victimization were significantly associated (p <.05) with the 5 substance use behaviors examined (adjusted prevalence ratios ranged from 1.29 to 2.32). These associations held across sexes. Significant associations were found within all 7 race/ethnicity categories, with the most associations reported for the non‐Hispanic (NH) white, NH black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, and NH Asian groups. CONCLUSION: The association between bullying and substance use by middle school is a highly relevant issue to consider as students return to classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the study was to compare how visual representations were integrated into the contents of the U.S. and Turkish textbooks used in life science. Data was collected from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade middle school topics common to both countries. Content analysis was used to analyse visual representations in textbooks. The visual representations were coded into five categories representative of the level of integration. Findings of the study revealed that many representations in Turkish textbooks were not designed with enough labels and captions compared to the U.S. one. This limited the function of the images in the textbook. The implications for textbook revisions aimed at improving the use of visual representations in the classrooms are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic, the United States' racial reckoning, and nationwide educational "anti-woke" legislation—along with long-standing accountability policies—acutely constrained teachers' experiences and have solidified public portrayals of educators as mistrustful and docile. Yet research suggests that, in the face of school and societal constraints, Black women educators develop and enact beliefs about teaching that challenge prevailing opinion to provide equitable and just learning experiences for their students. The 2020–2021 school year, an extraordinary moment in the United States, provided an important context to understand Black women educators' developing beliefs about teaching secondary literacy, a politicized and contested subject. Purpose: This study builds off of historical and contemporary research on Black women educators to understand how two teachers developed their beliefs about teaching literacy in a middle school with a diverse student population during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Drawing on Black feminist theory and asset-based pedagogies, it also sought to understand what individual and collective meaning they made out of their teaching experience. Research Design: The qualitative study centered on two Black women educators who taught seventh-grade English language arts and history during the 2020–2021 school year. The two teachers worked at a suburban middle school serving a racially diverse student population. The study involved three interviews with each participant and seven group discussions with both participants throughout the year. I employed grounded theory methodology to analyze the data and to develop themes about how the teachers developed their beliefs about teaching literacy. Findings: During an extraordinary moment in the United States—characterized by the Covid-19 pandemic, hybrid instruction, and a countrywide racial reckoning—the participants felt empowered to call out the deficit ideologies that their colleagues voiced. Calling out deficit ideologies informed three beliefs about teaching literacy: upholding students' humanity, elevating classroom discussion, and teaching a complex narrative of people of Color. These findings affirm the mutuality between action and beliefs and emphasize a more socially and politically oriented conceptualization of literacy pedagogy. Recommendations: This study informs how educational leaders can support Black women educators with professional learning that positions culturally affirming school expectations and critical self-reflection as a precedent to the empowering literacy instruction teachers could enact in classrooms. Future research can examine school-level and social factors shaping teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The educational services available for fully included middle schoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the general education setting in the United States are not well known. Even less is known about how the executive functioning (EF) deficits of such youth are addressed in the classroom. The current study sought to identify the challenges, including EF, that middle schoolers with ASD face, determine the services that they receive on their Individualized Education Program (IEP), and also explore specific strategies used to build EF skills at school. A convenience data sample was obtained from focus groups with educational personnel (n = 15), and qualitative analyses of IEPs were conducted in middle schoolers with ASD with EF deficits (n = 23). Results confirmed that social communication and EF challenges are common. Multiple services and accommodations were identified, although EF challenges were rarely targeted on IEPs. Factors that may facilitate the success of EF strategies in the classroom are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gender gap persists in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although females constitute half the total workforce in the United States, they make up just greater than a quarter of employees in STEM fields. In recent years, one approach to addressing the gender gap in STEM has involved middle grades science teachers helping young adolescent females view themselves as potential scientists from a young age. Through a variety of targeted strategies, science teachers have supported female students in building STEM self-efficacy by encouraging their participation in varied initiatives. This qualitative multi-case study investigated how two middle grades science teachers build STEM self-efficacy in female students both during and outside of formal instruction. Data sources included surveys, interviews, and classroom artifacts. Findings featured specific examples of classroom initiatives that participants believed built female students' self-efficacy as well as participants' reasoning for the initiatives' use and perceived outcomes of their utility. Our findings also indicated that participants' efforts to build female students' STEM self-efficacy were hampered by participants' lack of clarity regarding the meanings of STEM education and STEM self-efficacy. Implications for middle grades teacher education and STEM-focused professional development are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This research investigated how peer victimization and support are reciprocally related and how Cooperative Learning (CL) can reverse the progressive cascade that, unchecked, can culminate in youth mental health problems. Methods: The sample (N = 1890; 53% male) was derived from a randomized trial of CL in 15 middle schools in the United States. Students were recruited in the 7th grade. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to fit our cross‐lag difference score model across four waves of data. Results: The results indicated a reciprocal relationship between peer support and victimization across time, suggesting the potential for negative experiences with peers to become amplified over time in a "vicious cycle," negatively impacting mental health. Students in intervention schools reported significantly higher levels of peer support and lower levels of victimization, suggesting that CL can intervene in this cycle, with salutary effects on mental health; CL also demonstrated direct effects on mental health. Conclusions: The present study indicates that low peer support can be both a precursor to and an outcome of victimization, serving to maintain a vicious cycle that compounds negative effects on student mental health. Further, results demonstrate how CL can reverse this cycle. We conclude that CL can be of particular importance to the prevention field as a universal mental health program that does not require the associated stigma of identifying youth at elevated risk for referral to treatment programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disruption of in-person delivery of a sexual health education curriculum to students in 19 urban middle schools in the Midwestern United States was one of many complications in education due the COVID-19 pandemic. Given time constraints and need for program delivery, community partners collaborated to convert the curriculum for virtual delivery. A team of school health education experts, sexual health education professionals, educational psychologists, and an E-learning professional worked together in curriculum conversion, leveraging knowledge and expertise for production of a virtual sexual health education curriculum tool for educators to use for teaching middle school students learning in a virtual format and as an aid for future in-person delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle school teachers frequently struggle with positively managing student behavior. However, praise-to-reprimand ratios (PRRs) have received little research attention. PRRs studied in elementary school have been positively associated with improvements in on-task and prosocial behavior, but limited research has been conducted on optimal PRRs in middle schools. We conducted this study in the context of a randomized control trial of Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams Middle School (CW-FIT MS) to isolate the effects of one of the main components of the intervention, PRR. After controlling for the intervention, we examined the effects of PRRs in 28 U.S. middle school classrooms on (a) class-wide on-task behavior, (b) on-task behavior of students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), and (c) disruptive behavior of students at risk for EBD. Multivariate regressions revealed a statistically significant linear relationship between middle school PRRs and the variables of interest: As PRRs increased, on-task behavior of the entire class improved, on-task behavior and grades of students at risk for EBD increased, and disruptive behavior of students at risk for EBD decreased. We discuss the implications of our findings and suggest areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present case study illustrates the use of explicit text structure intervention for expository reading comprehension with three adolescents with language learning disabilities (LLD). We investigated whether it was feasible to provide direct instruction on the identification of signal words that denote compare–contrast relations between concepts, the purpose and nature of expository text structures, and the use of graphic organizers to assist in retell of target passages and compare–contrast text comprehension. The intervention was effective in improving participants' text structure identification, signal word recognition, and comprehension of compare–contrast text. This preliminary case study demonstrates that a short-term text structure intervention is feasible and can benefit adolescents with LLD who struggle with expository reading comprehension. Implications for clinical and educational services and future directions for research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic characteristics and music achievement of eighth-grade students in the United States using evidence from the 2016 National Assessment of Educational Progress in the Arts (NAEP). Analyzing NAEP data from a nationally representative sample of 4,340 eighth graders attending public and private middle schools in the United States in 2016, The author estimated enrollment percentages in various kinds of music classes and compared Music NAEP scores across various individual characteristics. Results showed that 64% of eighth graders enrolled in a school music class, with 34% of eighth graders enrolling in an ensemble class. Among ensemble students, there was underrepresentation of Black and Latinx students and underrepresentation of students of lower socioeconomic status. Students who were enrolled in general music and not an ensemble did not follow this pattern: Black and Latinx students and students of lower socioeconomic means were overrepresented among general music students. Controlling for contextual and demographic characteristics, ensemble music students significantly outscored nonmusic students on the Music NAEP, but students enrolled in general music as their only music course scored statistically indistinguishably from their nonmusic peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle school transition year poses known challenges to early adolescent adjustment, particularly for students from ethnic and racial minoritized backgrounds who face ethnic and racial discrimination from school personnel and classmates. Drawing on a sample of 711 African American and Latinx sixth-grade students attending 17 schools, we employed latent class analysis and latent transition analysis to explore the nature of and changes to perceived ethnic and racial discrimination during the beginning and end of sixth grade. We also examined the possibility that perceived ethnic–racial discrimination could be diminished through a school-based, universal program for teachers to improve the school ecology. Findings revealed four distinct classes concerning perceived ethnic–racial discrimination, with patterns over time highlighting the malleability of perceived ethnic–racial discrimination during the first year of middle school. Findings provide direct implications for understanding and improving ethnic and racial minoritized students' school experiences at the middle school transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OpenSciEd is an ambitious effort to implement the vision of the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards broadly across the United States. The premise of OpenSciEd is that high quality instructional materials can play a critical role in transforming science teaching and learning at a broad scale. To achieve its goal, this collaborative project is developing instructional materials for middle school science that support the shifts in practice required to achieve the outcomes called for by the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards at a large scale. The OpenSciEd Middle School Program development project is addressing the challenge of making large changes in practice at a large scale through attention to (1) who participates in design and development, and how; (2) providing explicit guidance for developers in a comprehensive design framework; and (3) a design and development process that ensures participation from the desired participants and adherence to the guidelines of the design framework. The resulting instructional materials have shown promise in external reviews and field tests, but their success in achieving the project's goals for transforming science will depend on the circumstances in which the program is implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring language provides us with one approach to better understanding the practices and beliefs of a community. With advances in technology—specifically, computational text processing and machine learning tools—we can now examine written language on a large scale. In this study, we investigate the language of mathematics teaching and learning in the USA over a decade (2009–2018) by analyzing text from articles published in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. Our analyses explore the terminology used by middle school teachers and teacher educators to discuss their practice, revealing terms that are used widely, terms that have largely been absent from such writing, and terms that have shifted in usage over the past decade. This research provides insight into the zeitgeist of mathematics teaching and learning during a particular period of time, while also suggesting a fruitful approach to examining language as a means of uncovering the beliefs and practices of a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science fairs have a long history in the United States and internationally. Their implementation varies greatly (Kook et al, 2020), yet few empirical studies have examined the outcomes of these experiences for student learning. Research indicates that authentic scientific inquiry that focus on students' agency in investigations can contribute to students learning (e.g., Houseal, Abd‐El‐Khalick, and Destefano, 2014). However, teachers have been challenged with implementing inquiry‐based investigations (e.g., Anderson, 2007; Harris & Rooks, 2010). As new science standards increase the demand for science investigations in classrooms that afford students opportunities to engage with science and engineering practices (SEPs; NGSS Lead States, 2013), research is needed to understand the role of teachers and how these experiences can contribute to student learning. In this article, we describe the results of a national study that included data from 21 middle school science fairs. Data included observations of 20 science fairs, pre and postscience fair assessment data from 343 sixth grade students, and interviews or focus groups with 131 students, 122 teachers, 16 administrators, and 29 science fair judges. These data enabled the exploration of features of science fairs, including opportunities for students to engage in SEPs and the teachers support for SEPs through the science fair investigations. Findings reveal that science fair implementation varies considerably across schools. HLM analysis indicates that teachers' support for critiquing practices, particularly when it included students' engagement in evaluating the work of their peers, are positively associated with students understandings of SEPs. Qualitative findings highlight the ways in which teachers structured students' experiences and supported their enactment of SEPs as they conducted their science fair investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Praise, defined as public or private expression of approval for behavior, is recognized as a critical component in many classroom behavior interventions. Historically, praise has been viewed from the perspective of educators in terms of both increasing educator‐preferred behaviors and in terms of educators' perspectives. Little is known about students' perceptions of praise, particularly middle school students in the United States. The current study explored ways middle school students preferred to be praised and the behaviors students believed warranted praise. This included whether middle school students preferred praise to be delivered for effort or ability, and quietly or loudly. Using the Preference for Teacher Praise scale (PTP), 511 students were surveyed from an ethnically diverse middle school in the western half of the United States. Additional analysis investigated preferences based on age/grade, gender, and ethnicity. Results indicated that most students preferred to receive praise sometimes or almost always for both academic success and socially expected behaviors. However, most students preferred praise to be delivered quietly and to be focused on effort rather than ability. While girls were significantly more likely than boys to prefer effort praise to ability praise, all students preferred effort praise regardless of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal interactions can provide numerous benefits for child development and education. In the United States, goats are increasingly used in urban farm to school (FTS) programs to enhance children's learning and outdoor experiences. This study examined parents' attitudes toward the presence of goats in a middle school FTS program and in their residential community, and the perceived effects of goat experiences for their children. Parents' observations and reflections afford insights into the beneficial impacts that animals have on children and may also serve as a means to gauge parents' willingness to support animal care and thus enhance the sustainability of FTS programming. Using a retrospective pretest design, we surveyed 112 parents and guardians of students at an urban middle school in the Southeast USA, posing questions about their evolving attitudes toward goats and other animals at the school, their children's experiences with goats and other FTS program elements, and their views regarding the presence, benefits, and drawbacks of goats in the community more broadly. We found that parents generally had very positive attitudes toward goats (and other FTS elements) prior to their students' attendance, and that these became more positive with time. Over 90% of respondents believed goats positively influenced their children's interest or enthusiasm for school. Parents also reported broad acceptance of the presence of goats throughout their community. We conclude that goats can be valuable assets in FTS programs, and use insights afforded by parents' perceptions to draw recommendations for building collaborative support to provide more opportunities for child–goat engagement at schools and in urban communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 30 years, numerous policies have focused on closing the achievement gap in the United States. Despite this emphasis on mastery and proficiency, students continue to perform below expectations. We use standardized math test performance to explore whether schools have been able to eliminate the achievement gap across middle-level education (students aged 12 to 14 in school years 6 through 8), and whether it's possible to maintain consistent improvement within a school. Additionally, we examine how schools work to improve performance of their lowest-performing students. We find that most schools have very little impact in increasing (or decreasing) the proportion of proficient students across the middle grades. Furthermore, schools that do produce consistent gains in proficiency are generally not the same schools that improve the performance of lowest-performing students. These patterns also hold across key student subgroups: African American, Hispanic, and low-income students. Results from this study bring into question the logic behind focusing on proficiency for all students as a measure of school success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic-racial climate is a salient dimension of school context, especially amid the current sociopolitical climate. This study examined perceptions of school ethnic-racial climate among adolescent students of color, and the significance they place on being part of a diverse student population, in two urban middle schools, using interviews and focus groups. Qualitative analyses revealed that students' perceptions were contradictory. Students characterized their school interactions in meritocratic terms, where opportunities were grounded in equality and individual effort. However, their reports of racialized treatment were frequent, whereby ethnically segregated peer groups and the presence of stereotypes were prominent. Despite this, students articulated the benefits of school diversity, most notably, because it supported them in "mastering their dreams." Findings suggest that early adolescents are challenged with navigating the racialized context of the school environment. As such, schools must interrogate the promotion of colorblindness, in favor of practices that are more culturally affirming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined relations between patterns of dating aggression and victimization and school environment factors among 4,114 early adolescents attending 37 middle schools in four sites in the United States (51% Black, non-Hispanic, 21% Hispanic, and 17% White). Latent class analyses revealed a five-class solution that differentiated among youth classified as uninvolved (54%), psychologically aggressive victims (18%), aggressors (11%), victims (11%), and aggressive victims (5%). These groups differed in their perceptions of school environment factors, including the quality of student–student and student–teacher relationships, awareness/reporting of violence, school safety problems, and school norms for aggression and nonviolence. Our findings underscore the need for dating violence prevention efforts in early adolescence and the relevance of school environment and more selective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disciplinary incidents at U.S. public middle- and high-schools are a public policy concern. Although businesses popularly give credence to leaders' subjective intelligence, principals' reports of their schools' strengths and weaknesses are questioned. To determine whether principals' reports carry legitimacy as indicators of student offenses, the current study utilized a nationally representative survey of principals who reported on their sense of the institution and the number of disciplinary incidents in the past year (N = 1,872; replication cohort, N = 1,833). Findings showed that the more institutional shortcomings a principal endorsed, the higher total number of incidents occurred, even after controlling for institutional strength and several indicators of school crime. These findings have policy and intervention implications for improving student outcomes, and so would be of interest to funding agencies, school administrators, teachers, and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative case study examined school leaders' roles, perceptions, and challenges leading a one-to-one (1:1) laptop initiative in a coeducational, independent middle, and high school in the United States. The findings revealed how the school leaders led the school's 1:1 laptop initiative through collaborative, yet differentiated roles and responsibilities. Together, they established the school's vision, planned and implemented the initiative, supported teachers and students, reflected on their practice, and made changes as needed. Generally, the school leaders regarded the 1:1 laptop initiative as having a positive impact on teaching and learning by increasing student collaboration and access to information, as well as fostering teachers' reconceptualization of their practice. However, the impact on student achievement was inconclusive; they explained it was too early to gauge its impact. Challenges the school leaders experienced involved limited bandwidth, printing problems and students' off-task behaviors. They addressed them as they would any nontechnology challenge through problem-solving, shared decision-making, and fidelity to the school's mission and goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typically developing, American adolescents in Grade 10 (n = 38) ranked the relative importance of 14 communication skills in their friends' communication with them. The skills were considered those associated with figurative language (e.g., appropriate slang use), empathy (e.g., vocal tone comprehension), or discourse management (e.g., appropriate topic selection). Five skills emerged as more important and were primarily considered to be empathy-related communication skills. Four skills, representing a mix of figurative language and discourse management skills, were ranked as lower in importance. The remaining five skills were of intermediate or variable importance and a mix of discourse management and empathy-related communication skills. Results were similar to those of previous investigations with Australian adolescents. Adolescents' gender did not result in different rankings. Knowing what adolescents opine to be more and less important communication skills for positive peer relationships can help speech-language pathologists decide on intervention objectives to improve adolescents' peer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personalized learning (PL) and social-emotional learning (SEL) are areas of increasing emphasis in U.S. educational policy and practice. With the goal of examining how these initiatives may be mutually supportive, this exploratory study investigates the potential for a PL experience to help middle school students develop the SEL skill of "self-awareness." Using qualitative inquiry, we analyze reflective interviews with eleven students engaged in PL using an original self-awareness coding scheme. Our findings offer promising evidence that PL can promote self-awareness, including specific student examples, followed by recommendations for how PL and SEL efforts can be more strategically aligned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media Aware Parent is an interactive, web-based program designed to equip parents to communicate with their adolescent child about sexual health and media by enhancing parental communication and media mediation skills, as well as provide them with medically-accurate sexual health knowledge. In a small feasibility study, 56 parents of 7th and 8th graders in the United States were randomly assigned to complete a prototype of Media Aware Parent or receive online resources about adolescent sexual health. Results indicated that after using the program, participants in the intervention group discussed more new sexual health topics with their child and also had stronger beliefs in the importance of parent-adolescent communication (PAC) about sexual health when compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given the unequal distribution of physical activity (PA) opportunities across middle schools, alternative options for promoting it should be explored. Faith-based schools are positioned to offer religious-themed PA interventions, yet few have been reported. We replicated previous research by investigating the effects of the Physical Activity for Lent (PAL) program on change in step count (ΔPA) and its associations with religiosity, enjoyment, and motivation (four subscales). Method: Over the 6-week Lenten season, three Catholic middle schools' students (n = 128) participated in a randomly allocated controlled crossover trial of a pedometer-based virtual journey that followed Jesus's life path. We used the Reliable Change Index (RCI), general linear mixed models, and logistic regression to identify changes (pre- to post-Lent) in the independent variables, and their association with ΔPA overall and of being in the highest ΔPA tertile. Results: Between 11.6% (religiosity) and 34.7% (external regulation) of participants' scores changed. School (School 3 > Schools 1 and 2 by ~2,400 steps/day, p < .001) and grade (6th grade > 7th and 8th grades by ~2,500 steps/day, p < .001) - but not religiosity, enjoyment, or motivation - were significant predictors of ΔPA. As RCI for intrinsic motivation and identified regulation increased, students were more (OR = 2.49) and less (OR = 0.74) likely, respectively, to be in the high ΔPA tertile. Conclusion: Desirable ΔPA was situational (i.e., school, grade) and highest ΔPA tertile was associated with autonomous motivation. Faith-based PA interventions may need to include additional components to realize even greater gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the USA, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are among the most vulnerable to have reading difficulties, experience general academic failure, and drop out of school. Students with EBD who receive schooling in residential treatment centers are at even greater risk for academic difficulties. To date, very little research has examined the impact of reading interventions for students educated within a residential treatment center. The primary goal of this two-part study was to evaluate the effects of a reading intervention with four students with EBD who were attending a residential treatment center. Each student received an evidence-based reading fluency intervention to increase their reading skills, and data collected in a multiple baseline design across participants demonstrated that each student responded favorably to the intervention. Standardized reading assessments, administered pre-post, supported evidence of intervention effectiveness. Implications for applied research and practice are discussed, including the implications for using participants' feedback to modify and enhance intervention procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While bullying is a serious concern for students and educators alike, empirically tested interventions are needed. This study examined the impact of a bullying intervention curriculum at a public middle school in the Midwest. This intervention, COREMatters, was designed to reduce bullying behaviors, foster a greater sense of community cohesion and trust in the school, improve school climate, and increase student self-esteem. As such, the intervention required participation of teachers, administrators, students, and outside experts. COREMatters was modeled after theoretical frameworks of socioemotional learning and Bloom's taxonomy. Additionally, components of This We Believe outlining successful schools were considered. Uniquely contributing to this intervention is the inclusion of martial arts instruction. The intervention was taught as a whole, integrated model. The t-tests indicated significant differences between the control and intervention groups on measures of school climate, student self-esteem, and school cohesion and trust. Students in the intervention group scored higher in measures of self-esteem and rated their schools more positively on measures of cohesion and trust and climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A growing literature describes the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) for student social behavior, academic performance, and emotional health. One widely implemented school program, the Quiet Time program, has been shown to improve factors associated with SEL, including positive emotional and behavioral coping skills, resilience, and self-actualization. Methods: A total of 101 sixth-grade students, 51 students from a public West Coast Quiet Time school practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) and 50 non-meditating students from a matched-control school, participated in the study. Both teacher rating of social-emotional competencies, using the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), and student self-reported psychological distress, using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) emotional symptoms scale, were completed at baseline and four-month posttest. Results: Significant improvement was found in the TM group compared to controls in social-emotional competencies for both the entire sample and high-risk subgroup (p values <.001; effect sizes = .78 and 1.32, respectively). A decrease in negative emotional symptoms was observed in high-risk TM students compared to controls (p < .073; effect size = -.70). Conclusion: These findings indicate the value of implementing TM to enhance social-emotional learning and decrease psychological distress in middle school students. Future studies are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the effect of attending a U.S. public middle or junior high school as compared with a K-8 school on eighth graders' academic and psychosocial outcomes. In a national sample, we conducted propensity score weighted regression analysis. Initial findings indicated that for eighth-grade students, attending a middle or junior high school negatively affected teacher- and self-reported reading/writing competence. After applying population weights, only reading self-concept remained negatively affected by middle school enrollment. Exploratory analysis revealed the negative effects of attending a middle grade school may be present only for the students who enter kindergarten not at risk as measured by socioeconomic status (SES) or academic performance. Taken together, results suggest that negative impacts of middle grade schooling may be limited to teacher- and self-reported reading/writing competence, more pronounced in middle versus junior high school, and more salient for less disadvantaged students. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle school general music is an often-overlooked aspect of music education in the United States. Yet at some point, many music educators face a teaching assignment including one or more sections of middle school general music. In this study, I investigated whether the principles that guide music educators in teaching middle school general music align with the middle level concept, articulated in This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents. In addition, I sought to examine the impact of a teacher's lived experience on these principles. This survey of middle school teachers revealed that while less than 10% of respondents were aware of This We Believe, over 60% regularly use principles aligned with the middle level concept to guide their teaching, with the major exception of diverse assessment techniques. Analysis also revealed that over 80% of respondents are greatly influenced by their teaching experience when making teaching decisions compared to less than a third by their preservice preparation. Implications for this study include the inclusion of the middle level concept in preservice education, the diversification of assessment approaches in middle school general music, and the potential influence of the school community on a teacher's practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant efforts have been made in the US to develop project-based curricular units and examine their implementation. However, there has not been a similar focus on studying and understanding how teachers enact project-based learning. Building on the work related to core practices in teaching, we seek to develop a better understanding of the foundational teaching practices of teachers and leaders who have experience in implementing project-based curricula. Our analysis produced a multi-level framework, identifying four goals of PBL teachers and 11 core practices related to those goals. • Project-based teachers build disciplinary classrooms focused on subject area learning. • Project-based teachers create project authenticity through real, meaningful problems. • Project-based teachers enact iterative systems for feedback, reflection, and revision. • Project-based teachers support collaborative student work with choice and agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bullying involvement among youth has consistently been linked to potentially serious consequences for both perpetrators and victims. To help clarify the nature and scope of youth bullying involvement, empirically validated assessment instruments measuring victimization and perpetration behaviors are needed for use in research and practice. The present study investigated the latent factor structure of the 22 victimization and perpetration items within the 2009-2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) self-report survey. Structural validity analyses were conducted using a representative sample of U.S. youth in Grades 5 to 10 (N = 11,449) obtained from the national administration of the HBSC self-report survey. Results suggested a two-factor latent structure comprised of bullying victimization and perpetration was the most theoretically and psychometrically sound measurement model for these data. In addition, multigroup measurement and structural invariance analyses showed that this model functioned equitably across student race/ethnicity, sex, and grade level, supporting the measure’s use with diverse student populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforms to support and expand personalized learning increasingly are being introduced in middle schools across the United States. Personalization, as enacted in response to these reforms, encourages teachers to implement many practices that long have been recommended by advocates of middle grades philosophy. To better understand the practices of middle grades teachers working in schools attempting to implement personalized learning, this article presents a survey instrument to measure teacher practices for personalization in the middle grades. The article describes the formulation and initial administrations of the survey to 232 teachers in 2016 and 165 teachers in 2017. Exploratory factor analysis provided evidence for the presence of factors describing practices for personalized assessment, out-of-school learning, whole group learning in a personalized setting, and technology implementation. Confirmatory factor analysis with the follow-up sample provided additional support for this structure. Data from these two separate survey administrations demonstrated high internal consistency and moderate correlation across the groups of practices. Suggestions for future research using the tool are offered. The survey instrument is included as an appendix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a learning design perspective on No Child Left Behind (NCLB), I examine how accountability policy shaped urban educators’ instructional sensemaking. Focusing on the role of policy-rooted classifications, I examine conversations from a middle school mathematics teacher team as a “best case” because they worked diligently to comply with the NCLB. Using discourse analysis, I identify instances of torque in their conversations: when educators’ compliance with accountability logics pulled them away from humanistic goals of education in ways that stood to exacerbate existing educational inequality. This article contributes to documentation on unintended consequences of accountability policies while identifying features that contribute to torque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the U.S. becomes increasingly ethnically diverse, opportunities for cross-ethnic interaction at school may be increasing, and these interactions may have implications for academic outcomes for both ethnic minority and White youth. The current study examines how cross-ethnic peer relationships, measured using peer nominations for acceptance and daily lunchtime interactions, relate to academic outcomes for an ethnically diverse sample of 823 (45% boys and 55% girls; M = 11.69) public middle school sixth graders across one Midwestern and two Western states. For White, Black, Asian, Latino/a, and Multiethnic students, self-reported daily cross-ethnic peer interactions were associated with higher end-of-year GPAs in core academic courses and teachers' expectations for educational attainment, but not self-reported school aversion. Making cross-ethnic acceptance nominations was not associated with any academic outcomes. Thus, daily opportunities for cross-ethnic interactions may be important school experiences for early adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators seek to develop students' mathematical knowledge retention to increase student efficacy in follow-on classwork, improvement of test scores, attainment of standards, and preparation for careers. Interactive visuals, feedback during problem solving, and incorporation of higher-order thinking skills are known to increase retention, but a comparison of online and face-to-face learning regarding knowledge retention has not been fully explored. The current study tested 38 Caucasian eighth grade students for knowledge retention on ten mathematical topics they had learned in sixth grade during either online or face to- face conditions. After two years, students were given the same posttest as in 6th grade over the 10 units of which five had been learned online and five face-to-face. Scores for long-term gain scores showed no significant differences between online or face-to-face learning conditions. A TOST calculation was used to show equivalence of middle school student long-term learning across online and face-to-face conditions in mathematics in this study within the limits of the test. The interactive nature of each condition contributed to strong mathematical understanding, which led to the retention being equivalent for both conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to determine the thoughts of Turkish and American middle school students on science and technology. One intact school was assigned randomly for this study from both countries. The sampling of the study contains 479 students (363 Turkish students, 116 American students) from two countries aged between 11 and 13. The data for the study were obtained by using ROSE Survey. The results of the study revealed similarities and dissimilarities on science and technology between the students of the two countries. The findings of the study are thought to improve the education of universal science and technology and to contribute to the researchers doing research on comparative education and cultural diversity and to the literature of international science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A relationship exists between attitudes toward physical education and future physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in attitude toward physical education as students progressed from upper elementary school (Grade 4) through middle school (Grade 8).Method: Three cohorts of students (Cohort 1, Grades 4-6, n = 96; Cohort 2, Grades 5-7, n = 71; and Cohort 3, Grades 6-8, n = 73) were each followed for 3 years to examine changes in attitudes toward physical education.Results: After an initial increase from Grade 4 to Grade 5, a significant decrease was observed from Grades 5 to 8 in students' positive attitudes toward physical education, with a faster rate of change for girls than boys.Conclusion: This longitudinal study provides further insights regarding the attitudes of students as they progress from Grade 4 to Grade 8 and expands on previous findings identifying decreasing positive attitudes toward physical education as students age, particularly for girls. The results provide evidence to support targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct assessments of instructional practice (e.g., classroom observations) are necessary to identify and eliminate opportunity gaps in students’ learning of mathematics. This study examined 114 middle school mathematics classrooms in four instructionally focused urban districts. Results from the Instructional Quality Assessment identified high percentages of lessons featuring cognitively challenging tasks, but declines in cognitive challenge during implementation and discussions. Overall instructional quality exceeded results from studies with nationally representative samples and paralleled results of studies of instructionally focused urban middle schools. Significant differences existed between districts, favoring the district with veteran teachers, long-term use of Standards-based curricula, and professional development initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative case study explored how middle school teachers and students experienced and perceived choice within a newly implemented personalized learning class. It found that teachers and students had different values, expectations, and interests related to student choice, which contributed to struggles for power and control within the personalized learning class. Findings suggest teachers may benefit from foregrounding personalized learning as a partnership in which students and teachers bring their voices into conversation while framing choice as a means toward collaboratively developed learning targets as opposed to an end in and of itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High prevalence rates of aggression during adolescence and associated adjustment difficulties for perpetrators and victims highlight the need for effective violence prevention programs. School-based prevention programs are advantageous as they occur in a key setting for youths' social and emotional development. The current study compared the efficacy of a combined universal violence prevention approach that included individual-level skill-building (i.e., lessons from Second Step) and school environment (i.e., Olweus Bullying Prevention Program; OBPP) interventions to OBPP alone. Participants were 231 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders (ages 11-15; M = 12.6, SD = 1.0) in middle school (48 % male, 67 % African American). A total of 14 classrooms were randomly assigned to the combined intervention (seven) or OBPP only comparison (seven) condition, split evenly across grades. Intervention effects were moderated by disability status and gender. Among students without disabilities those who received the combined intervention reported greater increases in anger regulation coping skills than those in the comparison condition. In contrast, among youth with disabilities greater increases in teacher-rated social skills were found for students in the combined intervention than students in the comparison condition at posttest. Gender-moderated effects included greater decreases in teacher ratings of externalizing problems and bullying behaviors for boys in the combined intervention versus the comparison condition at posttest. Study results inform school-based violence prevention programs and are discussed along with implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventh grade students, varying in their literacy skills, from a suburban middle school in the United States were taught an expository writing strategy using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development approach. Using an AB design, the students participated in an eight-session expository writing intervention that taught the writing process. The quality of the students plans for their writing and their written essays were evaluated. The results indicate that the pre-placement of the students in school identified intervention groups did not indicate which students would benefit from a writing intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the interaction between the fidelity of implementation of a set of research-based strategies—Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR)—and outcomes for students with mild to moderate disabilities using data from two nonoverlapping studies in middle school language arts and reading classrooms (Study 1) and middle school social studies and science classrooms (Study 2). The authors use a definition of fidelity that includes both the amount of CSR instruction delivered by teachers and the quality of implementation. Although there were no main effects for quality or amount of CSR instruction, in both studies there was an interaction effect between quality of implementation and special education status. The study used a within-groups design and multilevel analyses, and the results demonstrate that higher quality CSR instruction was associated with higher reading outcomes for students with disabilities. This finding was consistent across Study 1 and Study 2. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of reported school victimization through physical, verbal, social/relational, and cyberbullying aggression among music ensemble and theatre students in the middle and high schools of the United States as compared to their peers involved in other school-based activities. We analyzed nationally representative data from five waves (2005–2013) of the biannual School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, a joint project of the U.S. Bureau for Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics. Logistic regression results showed that music ensemble and theatre students were significantly more likely to be victimized by in-person bullying than their non-arts peers. A significant interaction between sex and arts status showed that male music and theatre students faced the greatest risk of being subjected to physical bullying aggression while female music and theatre students faced the greatest risk of victimization through social/relational aggression. Though incidents of experiencing hate speech were rare, music and theatre students faced a significantly greater risk of hate speech victimization than non-arts students. The overall probability of a music student being victimized by any type of in-person bullying was .34 compared to .25 for non-arts students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach is presented for strengthening middle school standards-based English language arts (ELA) classroom instruction by infusing theory- and research-supported career development constructs and practices. Over an 8-week period, 90 urban 7th graders participated in an integrated ELA-career development curriculum. Career agency emerged as an important construct for students. It was related to key markers of ELA achievement (i.e., standardized test scores, grades, and positive change in 6th- to 7th-grade test scores) and elaborated on in nuanced ways by students in their written narratives. Four themes related to career agency were identified in student writings: time perspective, challenges of self-direction, career development, and social and emotional development. Advantages for students and schools related to synergy, scale, and sustainability are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators need to delve further into effective ways to spark student interest, motivation, and curiosity both in the middle school classroom and in the online environment. A thoughtfully crafted blended learning process, infused with inquiry learning, can provide students with opportunities to collaborate, think critically, and pose questions, both in the classroom and online. Middle school teachers can introduce this style of teaching by infusing a classroom inquiry model with the following characteristics: engagement, multiple modes of instruction, choice in activities, collaboration, and support/challenge. Despite potential barriers to this method, blended learning combined with inquiry instruction is a beneficial way to deliver instruction in multiple formats, and address the learning styles of middle school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Threshold concepts are essential ideas about the natural world that present either a barrier or a gateway to a deep understanding of science. Weight, mass, and gravity are threshold concepts that underpin students' abilities to understand important ideas in all fi elds of science, embodied in the performance expectations in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This study begins with a review of research on students' diffi culties in understanding these concepts individually and in relation to each other, based on individual interviews and surveys of several hundred children that illustrate how students' understanding of weight, mass, and gravity develops over the lifespan, from age five through adult. New data from an additional 451 subjects in the critical age range of 10 to 14 years old support and extend the prior fi ndings. The purpose of the current study is to provide teachers and curriculum developers with actionable and up-to-date information that educators can use to help children at the upper elementary, middle, and high school levels achieve Next Generation Science Standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A random sample of middle school teachers (grades 6-9) from across the United States was surveyed about their use of writing to support students' learning. The selection process was stratified so there were an equal number of English language arts, social studies, and science teachers. More than one-half of the teachers reported applying 15 or more writing to learn strategies at least once a month or more often. The most commonly used writing to learn strategies were writing short answers to questions, note taking for reading, note taking while listening, and completing worksheets. While teachers reported using a variety of writing to learn strategies, most of them indicated they received minimal or no formal preparation in college on how to use writing to learn strategies to support student learning, less than one-half of teachers directly taught students how to use the writing to learn strategies commonly assigned, and the most commonly used writing to learn strategies did not require students to think deeply about the material they were learning. We further found that teachers' reported use of writing to learn strategies was related to their preparedness and the composition of their classroom in terms of above and below average writers, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]