<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors influencing middle school grading reform. The study involved all stakeholders in one middle school community. Participants were surveyed to determine which standards-based grading practices were most welcomed among middle school students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Additionally, students&rsquo; perceived motivation levels when evaluated using standards-based grading practices were quantified and the necessary support needs of middle school teachers were identified as they attempted school-wide grading reform. Many are calling for school leaders to evaluate unreliable traditional grading methods and reform grading to a standards-based approach (Guskey, Swan, &amp; Jung, 2011; Wormeli, 2013). For this reason, the survey items used in the study were based on the positive and negative outcomes of standards-based grading found in current research. The sample groups for the study included 137 middle school students, 148 parents, 25 teachers, and three administrators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results of Likert-style survey items and open-ended questions. Findings indicated the most accepted grading changes among all stakeholders included allowing students multiple attempts to show the learning of a concept and providing for awareness and understanding of learning objectives. The teacher survey results revealed necessary support needs when attempting grading reform include the following: making grading decisions together as a faculty, communicating grading changes with parents, and allowing for time to implement grading changes correctly.</p>

<p> The transition process from elementary school to middle school has created numerous obstacles for all stakeholders. Early adolescents encounter emotional and physiological challenges as their bodies mature (Lester, Waters, &amp; Cross, 2013). These challenges have a major impact on the academic achievement of the students (Musoleno &amp; White, 2010). There is a direct connection between a student&rsquo;s successes in middle school and how well the student will do in high school, making the transition process even more important (Andrews &amp; Bishop, 2012). The purpose of this study was to identify predictors which could aid in easing the transition into middle school in order to improve student achievement. Data from the study were examined to evaluate if variance in curriculum, grading practices, and academic programs from Elementary School A, Elementary School B, and Middle School C had an effect on MAP Grade-Level Assessment performance and middle school readiness. The project also involved analysis of what impact other predictors such as student poverty, teacher-assigned grades, and student attendance had on student achievement during the transition process. This causal-comparative study was conducted to analyze the amount of discrepancy between variables of the study and MAP scores. The qualitative results of this study revealed some extreme differences in the percentages of students who raised MAP achievement levels when entering Middle School C from different elementary schools. This could be caused by the differences in curriculum and educational practices among the three schools. The statistical data revealed the other predictors in the study had an impact on student achievement.</p>

<p> The purpose of the exploratory research study was to identify the practices that school principals in the state of Pennsylvania utilize to best support students, parents and school personnel before and during the transition to a middle level school. Research questions were designed to assist in determining what transitional practices schools are using, which practices principals&rsquo; rate most successful, to what extent transition program activities are aligned to the developmental needs (physical, cognitive, social-emotional) of young adolescents, how transitional practices compare between middle level schools that have and have not been identified nationally as a <i>School to Watch </i> and how practices vary by the grade configuration of middle level schools.</p><p> Quantitative and comparative coding qualitative analysis was used in the study and results indicated that transitional practice usage is valued by principals, yet implementation of transitional practices varies among schools. Time was reported as the most significant barrier to implementing transitional practices. The majority of practices used by schools are with students, yet practices lack in addressing students&rsquo; social-emotional needs. Practices aligned to cognitive needs of young adolescents are used more frequently and ranked most successful by principals. Principals indicated self-reported success and that the most common practice used with students prior to transition is an orientation day to the middle school and having an assembly about building rules, procedures and information is most successful and common during transition. Regardless of grade configuration, transitional practices used with school personnel remain the least frequently implemented by schools. Furthermore, student practices aligned to the physical developmental needs of young adolescents are more frequently implemented by schools that have been designated a <i> School to Watch.</i></p><p> I used a web-based survey to gather data to examine the extent to which the transitional practices were implemented in schools. A sample of 96 middle level principals in Pennsylvania responded to the survey. Results from the study support the use of transitional practices with students and parents and educating staff about transition to build a stronger school community and foundation of educational excellence. Implications for professional development and future research are offered.</p>

Abstract En ny gymnasiereform genomfördes 2011, och de nya styrdokumenten visar att entreprenörskap ska genomsyra all undervisning i gymnasieskolan. När det nu har gått ett läsår är det av stort intresse att följa upp detta. Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka gymnasielärarnas uppfattning av entreprenörskap samt i vilken utsträckning och hur de integrerar entreprenörskap i sin undervisning inom Handels- och administrationsprogrammet. Illeris olika dimensioner av lärande, såsom innehåll, drivkraft och samspel, har varit den teoretiska utgångspunkten i mitt arbete. Tidigare forskning om entreprenörskap i skolan visar att det finns olika uppfattningar bland lärare om vad utbildning i entreprenörskap innebär. För vissa lärare är entreprenörskap en aktivitet medan andra ser det som en pedagogik, dvs. ett sätt att lära och lära sig. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie har gjorts med sex gymnasielärare på gymnasieskolans Handels- och administrationsprogram. Ett av de viktigaste resultaten av min studie är att de flesta lärarna som intervjuades förknippar i första hand entreprenöriellt lärande med att förbereda eleverna för att starta och driva företag. Det finns några lärare som också ser entreprenöriellt lärande som ett pedagogiskt arbetssätt som uppmuntrar till kreativitet, självförtroende, initiativ- och ansvarstagande som anses vara kompetenser som krävs i en förändrande arbetsmarknad. Det framkom också av resultatet att även om inte alla lärare har integrerat entreprenöriellt lärande i sin undervisning är de flesta positiva till att jobba med entreprenörskap i skolan. De ser flera fördelar i det men de upplever som svårigheter att de har en stor arbetsbelastning och att det inte är lätt att hitta tid till samarbete med andra kollegor. Nyckelord: Entreprenörskap, lärande processer, gymnasieutbildning.

In this article research work educational institutions and primary teachers`s view on children`s pre-school education is analyzed. This issue is topical as continuity of pre-school and primary school education influences the quality of education in primary classes a lot. The issue is even more topical because of the newness of a pre-school education branch in Lithuanian educational system, this fact causes a lot of problems. The object of the research - primary education. The aim of the research – to find out how administration of educational institutions and primary teachers evaluate the role of pre-school education in children`s preparation for school and which model of pre-school education they give top priority to. Tasks: To examine the problems of pre-school education in scientific literature; to find out points of view of administrators of different educational institutions on children`s preparation for school; to examine primary teachers` point of view on children`s preparation for school; to accomplish a comparative analysis of the data and give recommendations for improvement of the work. The methods of the research: Theoretical: Analysis of scientific management, psychological, pedagogic, sociological literature and the newest educational documents. Empirical: Primary teachers and school administration, pre-school administration questioning; Statistic: A quantitative analysis was accomplished, the methods of statistical and comparative analysis were described. The... [to full text]

<p> Treatment integrity of school-based interventions is discussed within the dropout prevention and the Check &amp; Connect (C&amp;C) mentoring program framework. Treatment integrity factors and increasing and measuring it are explored. The psychometric properties of the C&amp;C Survey, an online administered self-report treatment integrity measure, used 2010/2011 data from 24 mentors and middle school mentees. Estimation of the C&amp;C Survey's criterion and content validity through mixed methods included data across multiple factors of treatment integrity and mentee outcomes. Aspects of the C&amp;C Survey correlate to improved mentee attendance and, less so, to decreased mentee GPA. Qualitative data showed mentors with higher C&amp;C Survey scores have more comprehensive knowledge of C&amp;C interventions. Experienced mentors found the C&amp;C Survey accurately reflected their activities. The C&amp;C Survey was deemed to have adequate psychometric properties. The frequent use of online administered treatment integrity measures for school-based interventions is proposed and further investigation posited.</p>

<p> Immigrant and refugee students who have been entering the United States have a pressing challenge and that challenge is the learning and comprehension of the English language. School administration and faculty have struggled to meet the needs of immigrant and refugee students in urban schools. The purpose of the quantitative correlational study was to test the hypothesis that sixth, seventh, and eighth grade immigrant and refugee band students scored higher on the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test than did junior high immigrant and refugee non-band students in the reading and comprehension of the English language, as assessed by the 2010 and 2011 reading and 2011 writing test scores of the AIMS. The target population consisted of the immigrant and refugee student population in three junior high schools in the A1 district, a Title 1 district in Phoenix, Arizona. The federal government created and developed Title 1 schools in the United States for students who were living at or near poverty and who may have been at risk of failure. The data clerks, faculty, and administrative members collected the reading and writing scores of the band and non-band sixth, seventh, and eighth graders of the three junior high schools from the Microsoft Excel&reg; program of the A1 District and the data were input into the Microsoft Excel program, then into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences&reg; (SPSS) program and analyzed. Two-tailed <i>t</i>-tests were conducted to analyze differences in the reading and writing scores between the band and non-band students in three junior high schools in Central Phoenix. A statistically significant difference in reading and writing scores was found between those students who were band participants and those who were not.</p>

<p> Using action research design and methodology, the goal of this project was to reduce and prevent bullying at a rural middle school in South Dakota through the implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). This project was rooted in replication of Dr. Dan Olweus' seminal work on bullying prevention, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. N = 521 students participated in the project. The OBPP Implementation Flowchart and OBPP Scope and Sequence guided implementation. Despite a high degree of fidelity of implementation on the OBPP Readiness Assessment, OBPP Classroom Implementation Checklist, and OBPP First Year Checklist, the results on the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (OBQ) were mixed with some key indicators showing an increase in bullying behaviors. However, the results are limited due to the OBPP's propensity to bring about increased recognition and reporting of bullying behaviors in the first year as a result of skills and strategies learned through class meetings. Additional time and study are recommended in order to draw definitive conclusions regarding the overall effectiveness of the OBPP. Other recommendations for further study include: improved fidelity of implementation and the addition of a prosocial skills/character education component to support the tenets of the OBPP.</p>

<p> This quasi-experimental research study examined the cognitive effects of background music used with middle school students during mathematics classes and mathematics testing. Eight schools, nine teachers, 23 classes, and 302 students participated in the project. A series of five compact discs of Mozart selections, a specifically selected composite of 12 CD albums, was used over a period of 10 class days and one testing day. The tests were teacher-designed for use during the regular regimen of testing for their specific classes. The conditions of music and no-music were reversed so students were their own controls. Results showed a nonstatistical gain overall; however, sixth grade females had a net music gain that superseded all other male and female groupings. In addition, an incremental gain was found with those who had played instruments. Other gains/losses were noted for these conditions: if students liked or did not like background music during classes and testing, if they liked or did not like listening to music while doing homework, if they liked singing or not, and whether they felt that the music was a help or hindrance to their attention, concentration, and/or distraction. The students' perspectives concerning the quasi-experiment were reported as supplemental qualitative data which included impressions about the experiment, opinions about the experience they had, and suggestions for future experiments.</p>

<p>Almost one-third of the students attending public high schools in the United States dropout of school each year with Hispanic students being a significant percentage of the students failing to graduate. While, this is a national problem, there is a variation in the rates in which specific ethnic/racial groups are dropping out of school with Hispanics (36.5%) dropping out at a higher rate than Asian (8.6%) and White (19%) students. This study analyzes the group difference between Latino students' educational aspirations and academic achievement during eighth and 10^th grade, as well as gender difference in aspiration level. </p><p> The findings of this study assessing the relationship of educational aspirations and academic achievement of Latino students who are participants of GEAR UP yielded varying results. The educational aspirations of the GEAR UP Latino students during eighth and 10^th grade showed a growth in the variable over time. Further, the educational aspirations and the academic achievement of the student participants produced relationships of significance during the students' eighth grade year, but not during their 10^th grade year. It was found during eighth grade, participants with educational aspirations of a bachelor's or master's degree had better academic outcomes, based on California Standard Test (CST) performance, than student participants with higher educational aspirations of a professional degree (i.e., medical, law). This was not the case for 10^th grade findings, which yielded non-significant results between academic achievement and educational aspiration after the transition to high school. Next, when analyzing aspiration level based on gender, there was no significant relationship, which may be attributed to the programming of GEAR UP. Lastly, a regression analysis to assess the predictability of 10^th grade GPA was reviewed using the independent variables eighth grade GPA, CST performance, and educational aspiration. The analysis showed eighth grade GPA had the strongest relationship to 10^th GPA. </p><p> These findings suggest there are factors beyond educational aspirations contributing to student persistence and academic achievement in high school, with eighth grade GPA having the strongest relationship to 10^th grade GPA. Based on this, the perception students have about their possible education attainment level may be developed based upon educational experiences from middle school. Therefore, student's relationships, self-efficacy beliefs, and academic performance in this period of the educational pipeline are critical for educational attainment levels beyond high school. </p>