<p> Academic and behavioral success in middle school is a predictor of academic and behavioral success in high school. How best to provide a developmentally responsive education to students at the middle level is a challenge that American educators and policymakers need to address (Jackson et al., 2000). This case study provides an understanding of the unique organizational structures and school culture that contributed to a diverse school&rsquo;s fostering and sustaining the goals of a middle school reform initiative designed to contribute to students&rsquo; academic and behavioral success. </p><p> Once a low-performing school with high disciplinary referrals, Crossroads Middle School is now considered exemplary because of high ratings on district climate surveys and success in increasing student achievement for all student groups since implementation of the reform strategy. Notably, during the reform implementation, three principals led the school. Given this leadership turnover, the school&rsquo;s success cannot be attributed to one charismatic leader, but rather the organizational culture fostered by the instructional leadership team. Data include interviews with 19 past and present members of the instructional leadership team, meeting observations, and reviews of school documents and artifacts. This exemplary case study reveals the shared norms, values, and beliefs developed over time by the leadership team members as they designed and implemented the structures, policies, and practices needed to foster the goals of the reform. </p><p> Crossroads had and continues to have a student population that mirrors the demographics of its large diverse district. This diversity contributes to the relevancy of the findings for other school leaders in districts that have diverse student populations and who seek to improve middle level education. The results of this study may inform district leaders and school-based staff seeking to adopt a middle school model uniquely suited to developing middle school students, and seeking to develop a staff with skill sets unique to teaching students at the middle school level.</p>

<p> The purpose of this mixed methods study is to test teachers&rsquo; capacity towards understanding of mathematical pedagogy and their willingness to utilize interactive whiteboard software to provide visual representations through virtual manipulatives and to understand how teachers are using interactive whiteboard software during instruction. Based Upon Linda Lambert&rsquo;s Capacity Theory and Michelle Hodara&rsquo;s five strands of Math Pedagogy, this study attempted to answer how we can improve mathematics instruction through implementing interactive whiteboards. This study looked at the relationship between teachers&rsquo; understanding of math pedagogy and their willingness to implement interactive whiteboards to enhance and engage instruction at the kindergarten through eighth grade. Included in this study is the role administrators play in improving mathematics instruction. Additionally, attitudes towards engaging instruction in both teachers and administrators were analyzed. The findings and discussions led to the adaptation of Linda Lambert&rsquo;s 4-quadrant matrix to a new Improving Capacity to Teach Math matrix. </p>

<p> The goal of this study is to contribute to understandings of parent-school relationships involving parents of students with autism by exploring notions of belonging with a small group of parents. The purpose of the study is to describe the experiences of middle school parents of children with autism. From these descriptions, I examined how parents of students with autism might contribute to understandings of belonging in school-family partnerships and enable schools and families to collaborate more effectively. This study addresses an apparent gap in understandings of belonging of parents of children with autism in their relationships with their child's school. As parents are asked to make connections with their children's school in parent-school partnerships, understandings of those connections are vital to generating and sustaining meaningful and effective relationships between parents and schools. This study uses thick descriptive methods (Geetz, 1973) to examine the phenomenon of belonging in parent-school partnerships among a small group of parents of middle school children with autism. The experiences of the parents in this study suggest that parents of middle school students with autism seek a sense of belonging in their relationships with those they work with regarding their children's schooling. This study also suggests that a sense of belonging may be an essential element of effective parent-school partnerships.</p>

Over the past twenty years, an increasing amount of research has been devoted to the study of student engagement within the field of educational psychology. This led to a growing body of research touting the benefits of engaged learning—from increased student achievement to more positive school experiences for learners. However, the literature is characterized by competing theoretical frameworks and multiple definitions of the construct of student engagement. Additionally, few works seek to capitalized on the expertise of classroom teachers to hone and develop what is known about engagement from the theoretical perspective. The current study used qualitative methodology to observe and interview master teachers, as defined by their designation as a National Board Certified Teachers, to learn how expert teachers define student engagement and how these conceptualizations match up to current theoretical frameworks. It also examined the sources for their professional knowledge of student engagement. The individual teachers defined student engagement through the presence of interest, engaged behaviors, social interaction, real world connections, strategic thinking, and positive student-teacher rapport. As a group, their answers support a four-dimensional construction of student engagement including affective, behavioral, cognitive and social engagement, which aligns well with one of the major theories of engagement within educational psychology. These teachers’ beliefs include an emphasis on real world connections to learning within cognitive engagement, and student-teacher rapport within social engagement that has yet to be explored deeply in the literature. Teachers identified multiple sources for this knowledge including experience, peer interactions, the NBCT process, and guidance from school leaders. While some noted formal professional education as a source, they saw classroom experience reflective and embedded professional development as more formative. This work shows these master teachers arrived independently at constructions for student engagement close to those proposed by the research community. It supports a meta-construct of student engagement that includes affective, behavioral, cognitive and social processes, and calls for greater theoretical advocacy within the study of engagement to help more teachers fully conceptualize student engagement without the need for trial-and-error learning and extensive classroom experience.

<p> This qualitative single case study is designed to address the prevalent issues of disproportional disciplinary actions with African-American males. This study investigates whether culture intersects motives such as race and class privilege when perceptions lead the decision for exclusion and other disciplinary actions with African-American men in an alternative middle school. Numerous studies support the findings suggesting African-American males face discipline more often than any other group of students in schools. Consequently, these students receive alternative middle school placement as punishment and that may be the result of perceptions from other key stakeholders involved with metering out these disciplinary actions. To test this idea of unfair disciplinary actions this study uses qualitative single case design because the results may provide dialogue and opinions that otherwise would not surface. Qualitative research is well suited because it encompasses interviews and interview data. The targeted population consisted of African-American males, teachers, administrators, and other academic stakeholders at an alternative middle school in Little Rock, Arkansas. This research investigates the students' behavior and teachers' control beliefs as those factors correlate with perceptions of the diverse culture that defines African-American males. The investigation purposefully uses CRT because this theoretic framework has been proven to challenge, disclose, and change attitudes regarding race relationships in America. Using CRT as a framework, to review literature, provides a point of reference that links the history and matters of race relations to the present situations with African-American males at an alternative middle school.</p>

The general purpose of this study is to investigate the status of the mathematics teachers in the secondary schools of Kentucky. It is in detail a study to ascertain (1) the educational qualifications of Kentucky mathematics teachers; (2) the salaries of these teachers; (3) the teaching experiences and tenure of the mathematics teachers; (4) the number and kind of mathematics courses being offered in our secondary schools.

<p> The purpose of this study was to discover the meaning of school body mass index (BMI) screening and referral to parents. The goal of school BMI screening and referral is to provide information to compel parents to change their child&rsquo;s diet and activity levels when overweight and obesity are identified. Measuring BMI in schools and alerting parents to findings above what is considered normal is one intervention to reduce overweight and obesity that has been utilized since 2001 in Florida. </p><p> To determine the meaning of BMI screening and referral to parents a mixed methods approach was utilized. Voluntary interviews of 20 parents who had received BMI referrals for their children were conducted. Analysis of the interviews was guided by phenomenology, as delineated by van Manen (1997). A cross sectional survey developed by Ruggieri (2012), was distributed to measure parent beliefs and opinions regarding the BMI screening and their reaction to referrals.</p><p> Findings from interviews indicated that parents ascribe different meaning to school BMI screening and referral. Overarching themes of changing and reflecting were discovered. The themes were manifested as dichotomies; some parents reflected on their role as parent and were more satisfied with the process; they reported change of diet and activity for their families upon receipt of a BMI referral. Others reflected on the role of the school in their child&rsquo;s life. They were more dissatisfied with the school screening and recommended changes in the screening and referral process. Suggested changes for school screening and referrals included subthemes: sensitivity, accuracy, privacy, and notification. </p><p> Parents responded in the survey that they would change diet and activity for their families if they were told by the school that their child had a weight issue. Actions taken upon receipt of a BMI referral were not limited to changing diet and activity levels but also included discussing weight with their child and others. Parents denied they would be offended by a BMI referral. School BMI screening and referral is a valuable and effective intervention to address child overweight and obesity, especially if the process is accomplished with characteristics that parents deem caring.</p>

<p> The problem that undergirds this study is the communication and understanding gap that exists between parents of Long Term English Language Learners (LTELL) and educational institutions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover what Latino parents of LTELLs understood about their children&rsquo;s language development as well as their academic standing. Using focus groups and interviews, the study examined how five parents of LTELL students communicated with their children&rsquo;s schools and what understanding they held about the educational programs and policies in the district. The study included gathering parents&rsquo; ideas for how to improve the current system of communication between parents of LTELLs and the schools. </p><p> By exploring parents perceptions, through counter-story telling, of what was communicated to them about their children&rsquo;s linguistic progress and academic placement, they made sense of current practices and determined future expectations between them and the school. Additionally, the study helped parents understand the academic trajectory and linguistic development of their children and the impact they can create by having their voices heard. </p><p> The analysis revealed four overarching themes. First, parents moved to the U.S. because they <i>desired for a better future</i> for their children. Second, the notion of <i>education versus la educaci&oacute;n </i> was explored, where parents expressed cultural and linguistic teaching expectations at home and at school. Third was the theme of <i>self-blame, </i> where parents tended to blame themselves, rather than the system, for their children&rsquo;s lack of language proficiency. Finally, parents highlighted <i>communication,</i> which they described as the core cultural and linguistic barrier at home and school. </p><p> Although the parents of LTELLs may unintentionally experience being uniformed and overlooked, they are highly concerned about their children&rsquo;s English language proficiency and academic placement. Their collective voices expressed the hope for a good education leading to a successful future.</p>

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide construct validation evidence for the Children’s Academic Motivation Inventory (CAMI). The CAMI, the junior Index of Motivation Scale (JIM Scale), and the Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSDS) were administered to 534 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. Additionally, teacher assigned math grades; total math and total reading scores from the Kentucky Essential skills test (KEST); and the Cognitive Skills Index (CSI) from the Test of Cognitive Skills were obtained for each participant. Principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation performed on the CAMI items produced essentially one factor, entitled academic achievement motivation. Coefficient alpha for the total CAMI was .92. The alpha coefficients for the twelve proposed factors of the CAMI ranged from .50 to .67. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed using total CAMI scores as the criterion variable. JIM scale scores: CSDS scores; teacher-assigned math grades; total math reading scores from the KEST: and CSI scores functioned as the predictor variables. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that the combination of JIM scale scores, teacher-assigned math grades, CSDS scores, and total reading achievement scores provided the best prediction model for total CAMI scores (R2 = .18). JIM scale entered the equation first (F = 60.969; df = 1, 407; p < .001); CSDS scores entered second (F = 20.348; df = 1, 407; p < .001); CSDS scores entered third (F = 6.104; df = 1, 407: p < .05); and total reading achievement scores entered last (F = 4.667; df = 1, 407; p < .05). JIM Scale scores were selected for evidence of discriminant validity. The regression analysis demonstrated that the CAMI has convergent validity with regard to the JIM scale: discriminant validity with respect to the CSDS: and sensitivity to group differences with respect to the teacher-assigned math grades, the CSI scores, and total reading and math scores from the KEST. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were also computed to aid interpretation of the stepwise multiple regression results. The correlations between total CAMI scores and each of the predictor variables were: JIM Scale scores (r = .35, p < .001), teacher-assigned math grades (r = .23, p < .001), CSDS scores (r = .18, p < .001), Cognitive Skills Index (r = .19, p < .001), total reading achievement scores form the KEST (r =. 22, p < .001), and total math achievement scores from the KEST (r = .11, p < .05). This investigation provides evidence to support the construct validity of the CAMI. Implications for future research are discussed.

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