<p> The overarching goal of this study was to obtain the perceptions of 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade English Language Arts teachers of their students&rsquo; reading skills, specifically comprehension and fluency, and those students&rsquo; readiness for high school English. The study proposed a comprehensive conceptual model of effective strategies reading teachers use and what prepared middle school students have in order to matriculate into high school. This research advanced the discussion of basic skills students need to matriculate into high school ELA and what hinders their matriculation. A mixed methods study with a threefold purpose was conducted. First, the study explored and described the perceptions of teachers of middle school students&rsquo; reading skills specifically those skills associated with comprehension and fluency. Second, it explored and discussed if middle school students exhibited sufficient basic skills associated with comprehension and fluency in ELA to matriculate into high school courses and succeed. Third, the study explored and described teachers&rsquo; perceptions of essential skills needed to transfer into high school ELA. Student readiness was explored in six focus groups with 25 teacher participants and three district supervisor interviews. Teachers and supervisors provided data on student readiness and skill deficiencies and proficiencies in comprehension and fluency. Data collection methods included teacher survey and district supervisor and teacher interviews. Findings indicated that student readiness for high school ELA is average; students&rsquo; basic skills in comprehension and fluency is also average; and students&rsquo; are lacking in basic skills needed to succeed in high school ELA courses. Narrative and descriptive statistics detailed students&rsquo; preparation, students&rsquo; reading skills, and students&rsquo; comprehension and fluency.</p>

<p> This qualitative single case study examined the connections between social-emotional learning and academic achievement in adolescents. Questions that formed the foundation for research include the background of how one middle school developed social and emotional practices for their student population, the ways in which those practices are implemented and sustained in the school community, how social-emotional learning practices interface with academics, and approaches which can be shared with other school sites. Qualitative research methods included formal and informal participant interviews, site and field observations, and the collection of artifacts and documents such as test scores and student work. Data was coded and analyzed by themes: 1) Building Relationships and Developing Trust; 2) Learning Engagement and Achievement; 3) Teaching Accountability and Responsibility; 4) Collaboration; 5) Resolving Conflicts; and 6) Budgets, Curriculum and Standards, and Teacher Demands. Data show convincing connections between creating caring school communities and the academic, social, and emotional development of adolescents.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities in middle school classrooms. This mixed methods research study focused on perceptions held by students and educational professionals, both classroom teachers and administrators, of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program in relation to overall classroom environment, overall school environment, and students&rsquo; sense of connectedness to the school. Quantitative data consisted of secondary data obtained from a survey taken by students exposed to the program and students not exposed to the program. Student survey results were compared to determine if a difference of perceptions existed between the two groups. Qualitative data were collected from educational professionals via electronic surveys and face-to-face interviews. Participant responses were documented and analyzed. The quantitative data showed no significant impact of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program related to students&rsquo; perceptions; however, the qualitative data pertaining to educators&rsquo; perceptions of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program demonstrated a multitude of positive effects of the program. According to the qualitative data, students exposed to the program exhibited a multitude of positive changes, whereas students not exposed to the program did not exude beneficial changes. The researcher concluded that although the quantitative data could not support the effectiveness of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program, the qualitative data provided enough evidence to support the validity of the program. </p>

<p> Every year millions of students drop out of school. Research indicates that student engagement is a major indicator of whether a student will or will not complete high school (Jackson, 2015). A student&rsquo;s decision to drop out is not an instantaneous event, but one that occurs because of a developmental process of withdrawal (Finn, 1989). Student engagement is a student&rsquo;s feelings of connectedness, belongingness, and valuing of school, developed early in a student&rsquo;s academic career (Voelkl, 1997). Increased student engagement offers students a chance to increase their achievement in school. One measure of student engagement is increased participation in school (Finn, 1989). Staff members who take the time to build relationships foster a greater sense of connectedness to the school for the student. A greater sense of connectedness may increase the levels of participation in the school thus resulting in greater achievement. The current study found that the engagement levels of at-risk middle school students in grades six through eight with and without disabilities increased after a staff-led mentoring program. The current study used the Identification with School Questionnaire (Voelkl, 1996) to measure student engagement. In addition, the current study analyzed the staff-mentor perceptions of the mentoring program and found that the staff-mentors valued the relationships with the students, that they wanted to meet periodically to collaborate on ways to better reach the students, and that most of the staff contacted parents as a natural part of the mentoring process. </p><p>

<p> Although some middle school teachers integrate social media platforms into instruction, they generally use traditional and teacher-centered strategies rather than those that are innovative and student-centered. A gap exists in the literature on how teachers could use social media tools such as Edmodo to engage middle school students for innovative online collaboration. This qualitative case study explored the factors that contributed to the acceptance and use of Edmodo by middle school teachers in a Mid-Atlantic urban school district. Specifically, the research explored how teachers leveraged Edmodo to initiate and sustain networked collaboration with their students. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model, sociocultural development theory, and connectivism supported the conceptual framework. A criterion selection process was used to select 6 middle school teachers as participants. Data sources included 6 semi structured interviews, a focus group of 3 educational technology leaders, and school district documents. Data were analyzed using a priori codes based on the literature review and conceptual framework. Themes that emerged from the analysis included the following: acceptance and use of Edmodo as a communication platform, increased support of students&rsquo; organizational needs, enhancement of professional practice, initiation of networked collaboration, barriers and challenges in networked collaboration, and sustained networked collaboration. This research may contribute to positive social change by informing educational leaders and teachers on how to best leverage social media tools such as Edmodo in the middle school classroom to actively engage students in online collaboration, fostering a more student-centered learning environment.</p><p>

<p> With only 11% of the current Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) workforce being Black and Latino men and women, there is a crisis of underrepresented individuals in STEM fields. The construction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the mantra &ldquo;all standards, all students,&rdquo; represents an attempt to increase access to science for more students, and increase their self-efficacy about STEM subjects, as low self-efficacy is cited as one of the main causes of disinterest in STEM subjects. This study examined the relationship between students&rsquo; self-efficacy in STEM fields and their career interests, specifically in a population of Black and Latino youth. The study further analyzed self-efficacy and STEM interest between two groups of middle school students, those engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and those with traditional instruction. The Student Attitudes Towards STEM survey was distributed to 580 students to collect quantitative data on student self-efficacy in STEM and their attitudes towards varied STEM careers. Statistical analysis (correlation) determined a significant (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) moderate correlation between students&rsquo; self-efficacy and STEM career interest. Statistical analysis (independent samples t-test) also determined there was no statistical difference between the two student groups. This study offers insights into the implementation of the standards, suggestions for future research around science programs in schools, and a call to action for all schools to offer science courses to all students from kindergarten to 12th grade to increase interest in STEM fields for future careers and life outside the classroom.</p><p>

In recent years, sexual harassment among adolescents has received significant national attention in the media and from behavioral science researchers. Initial research focused predominantly on describing the prevalence of peer sexual harassment (PSH) among adolescents and understanding the associated outcomes. More recently, researchers have begun to examine individual and contextual risk factors for victimization. Using the problem behavior hypothesis, opportunity theory and developmental theory, a theoretical framework to identify risk factors for PSH was developed, namely risky behaviors (i.e., self-reported delinquency, aggression and friend support for counter conventional behaviors) and sexual saliency variables (i.e., flirting, dating and opposite sex nominations). Moreover, this is the first study that has used classroom demographic factors (i.e., percent male and class size) to predict PSH. Thus, the current cross-sectional study adds to the literature by examining the associations of individual variables with PSH using multilevel modeling techniques, taking into account the nested design of students within classrooms, with theoretically based correlates (i.e., classroom variables, risky behaviors, sexual saliency factors) to examine vulnerability factors for PSH. A cohort of 8th grade students from an urban, culturally diverse and low-income school district was used. Self-report and peer-reported data were obtained from 744 students in the fall. Self-report measures include PSH (AAUW, 1993; 2001); self-reported delinquency (Elliot, Huizinga, and Ageton, 1995), a modified friends' support for counter conventional behaviors scale (Schierer and Botvin, 1998); and dating frequency. Peer ratings of aggressive behavior, flirtatious behavior, and opposite sex peer nominations came from the Revised Class Play (Matesen, Morrison, and Pellegrini, 1985). Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that PSH scores did not significantly differ between classrooms. As such, all variables were disaggregated to the individual level. Regression analyses found that classroom variables of class size and percent male were not related to the experience of PSH. Risky behaviors (i.e., self-reported delinquency, friend support for counter conventional behaviors, peer rated aggression) was a significant factor, with self reported delinquency being significant for girls and boys and peer rated aggression was a significant predictor for boys. Sexual salience variables (i.e., dating, flirtatiousness, opposite sex nominations) was also a significant factor, with flirtatiousness being a significant predictor for girls and boys and dating being significant uniquely for girls. Findings indicated that risky behaviors account for a greater variance in PSH victimization in boys, whereas sexual saliency account for a greater proportion of variance in girls. Findings also indicate that 6th grade pubertal status was predictive of 8th grade PSH. These results were discussed within the context of clinical implications for schools and future research directions.

<p> The purpose of the study was to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors that influence middle school students&rsquo; enrollment decisions in either alternative (Modern Band) or traditional (Advanced Choir) music ensembles, as well as to explore external influences (peers, parents/family members, and the music teacher) on students&rsquo; performance and learning skills. The data revealed that common intrinsic motivators described by students from both ensembles included interest in music, developing playing/singing skills and improving performance skills, emotions toward performing, desire of career and personal enjoyment, and self-encouragement. </p><p> The participants included two eighth-grade students enrolled in Modern Band and two eighth-grade students from Advanced Choir, and both ensembles were taught by the same teacher in the same school in an urban area on the West Coast. The results indicate whether the motivations were internal or external, different levels of impact were seen on each student regarding decision-making, learning process, and performance skills.</p><p>

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Yamaha Music In Education (MIE) keyboard instructional approach on selected musical and nonmusical outcomes of middle school students. One hundred and thirty-four middle school students from Miami, Florida were involved in the study. Experimental group participants (n = 68) received the MIE keyboard instructional approach, and were compared to a control group (n = 66) with no music instruction. The study was implemented for the academic school year from November 2004 to April 2005. Musical outcomes were reflected in students' music achievement and music attitudes. Music achievement was measured using the Iowa Tests of Music Literacy (ITML) (Gordon, 1991), and music attitude was evaluated through the Instrumental Music Attitude Inventory (IMAI) (Fortney, 1992). The nonmusical outcomes included students' motivation and self-esteem, using the Achievement Motivation Profile (AMP-Junior Form) (Mandel, Friedland, & Marcus, 2006), and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) (Coopersmith, 1981) respectively. Report card grades in math and reading, as well as school attendance records were obtained from the participating school to measure students' academic achievement and school attendance.

<p> Attrition among students costs individuals, institutions, and communities. As a result, alternative schools are growing rapidly. In 2010, over half a million students were enrolled in public alternative schools in the nation (Carver, Lewis, &amp; Tice, 2010). Alternative programs offered at secondary, middle, and elementary schools exhibiting a variety of practices, structures, and philosophies combat this epidemic of attrition. This mixed study investigates best practices in an alternative middle school setting from a student's perspective. Uncovered exemplars could allow administrators to implement strategies best suited to meet alternative middle school students' needs. Qualitative data consisted of two rounds of interviews with 10 participants. Quantifiable data collected included Idaho Standard Achievement Test scores (ISAT), grade point averages (GPAs), and attendance records prior to attending Span Academy and after completion of the program. Results from the ISAT scores revealed eight to 13 points of growth, equivalent to two to three years of growth. GPAs on a 4-point scale improved 1.5 points in language and 1.3 points in math. Students who achieved Level 5 and transitioned had 26 fewer absences while attending Span Academy than their previous year in school. In accordance to research protocol, two questions were rephrased to eliminate ambiguity and retain the integrity of student responses. Finally, it also became apparent that students attending alternative programs carry a stigma. This understanding provided an awareness that resulted in changed practices and procedures at Span Academy. Additionally, this research revealed that alternative middle schools, like Span Academy, contrary to the original design as a transition school, are better served as a 2-year intervention program, where the research revealed few students transitioned as of 2009 to present, and most preferred to remain at Span Academy through their eighth-grade year. Accordingly, Span Academy redesigned its program from a typical transition school to a comprehensive 2-year intervention program. Overwhelmingly, the student responses, supported by the quantifiable data, resulted in two overarching themes of accountability and relationship. The results from this research not only lend to best practices in an alternative middle school environment, but provide answers and strategies to best assist students in a traditional setting as well.</p>