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<p> After the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004, many schools began to use a Response to Intervention (RtI) model instead of the discrepancy model when identifying students with specific learning disabilities (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2011). When elementary schools adopted the RtI model, it was shown to be successful with any students who need academic interventions (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2011). The success at the elementary level has led to middle schools adopting the model with varying success (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2011). In this study, middle schools that have developed an academic RtI program through the Professional Learning Community (PLC) process were compared to non-PLC middle schools that may not provide a systemic process of academic interventions to determine if PLC schools produce higher academic achievement. Academic achievement was determined by students&rsquo; Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) index scores in communication arts for seventh and eighth graders. As a result of the application of a <i>t</i>-test, there was not a significant difference between the scores of PLC schools and the scores of non-PLC schools. Building principals of the middle schools in the PLC group were surveyed to identify the characteristics of the RtI model that were in place. The survey results of the six top-performing PLC schools were analyzed and compared to the entire PLC group to determine what characteristics lead to improved academic achievement. The components of RtI present in the top-performing schools included interventions that were implemented for at least three years, interventions provided a minimum of three days per week, and a maximum of 70 minutes of intervention per week.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how five sixth grade female students navigated the process of project-based learning as they designed and implemented their own project centered on mathematics while using a social justice lens. The theoretical frameworks of Authentic Intellectual Work and Social Justice Mathematics are blended to support a proposed new pedagogy of Project Based Social Justice Mathematics (PB-SJM). </p><p> Five female participants contributed to the findings of this study, all sixth grade students attending a project-based learning, charter middle school called The Academy of Innovation and Creativity. Data collection occurred throughout the entirety of a four-week project-process, including extensive field notes, two interviews per participant, multiple physical artifacts from each participant, and formal presentations by each participant.</p><p> Adapted from Gutstein's (2006) work with 3 C's (Classical, Community, and Critical), four propositions served as the basis for analysis, also known as the four knowledge bases or the Four C's&mdash;Content Knowledge, Community Connections, Critical Inequity, and Change Agency. The major findings of the study centered on the Four C's, specifically producing nine total themes. Within Content Knowledge, three themes emerged, that of a) Learning Targets&mdash;Understanding and Application, b) Complex, Non-Algorithmic Thinking, and c) Humanization of Mathematics. Two themes emerged in Community Connections, that of d) Personalizing Context and e) Experts as Sources. Likewise, two themes emerged within Critical Inequity, specifically f) Developmental Readiness and g) Growing Understanding of Critical. Lastly, Change Agency also produced two themes of h) Belief&mdash;Personal Agency and i) Action&mdash;Voice is Power. Collectively, the Four C's and the nine themes represent the findings of this research study.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SW-PBS) and Behavior Intervention Support Teams (BIST) and their impact on managing student behavior in sample schools in Missouri by using methodological triangulation. Office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) and Safe School Act Violations during the 2012&ndash;2014 school years in the SW-PBS, BIST, and No Model (control group) sample schools were analyzed to determine if there was a significant difference in the numbers of ODRs and Safe School Violations. Teachers from the sample schools were given the opportunity to participate in a survey to gather their perspectives about the impact their school&rsquo;s respective behavior model had on student behavior outcomes. Teachers surveyed reported varied opinions regarding disciplinary models and the benefits these models have on student self-control and helping to reduce student discipline behaviors. While all perceived their models to have a positive impact, there were differences in overall perceptions. Teachers in SW-PBS schools responded more positively about how the SW-PBS model impacted student behaviors. The ODR data were analyzed using a paired t-test, showing no significant difference between the number of ODRs in the models studied. Safe School Act Violations occurred more frequently in schools that had no behavior models than in schools that had implemented BIST or SW-PBS. The BIST schools had the fewest reported incidents.</p>

<p> Gender differences in middle school science were examined utilizing a mixed-methods approach. The intrinsic and extrinsic experiences of male and female non-gifted high-achieving students were investigated through the administration of the CAIMI, student interviews, teacher questionnaires, observations, and document examination.</p><p> Male and female students were selected from a rural Northeast Georgia school district based on their high performance and high growth during middle school science. Eighty-three percent of the student participants were white and 17% were Hispanic. Half of the male participants and one third of the female participants were eligible for free and reduced meals.</p><p> Findings revealed that male participants were highly motivated, whereas female participants exhibited varying levels of motivation in science. Both male and female students identified similar instructional strategies as external factors that were beneficial to their success. Due to their selection by both genders, these instructional strategies were considered to be gender-neutral and thereby useful for inclusion within coeducational middle school science classrooms.</p>

<p> A majority of the nation&rsquo;s military-connected dependents attend civilian public schools, yet there are pervasive inconsistencies in support programs and policies across schools (De Pedro, Astor, Gilreath, Benbenishty, &amp; Esqueda, 2013). High mobility rates present several challenges to children of military Service members, such as learning gaps, social and emotional difficulties, and challenges forming relationships with peers and school personnel (Astor, Jacobson, &amp; Benbenishty, 2012). This study examined how military-connected adolescents bridged their multiple military and civilian worlds in the school context. The theoretical foundations of the study included the Bridging Multiple Worlds (BMW) (Cooper, 2014) model and Social Network theory. The BMW design investigated military-connected adolescents&rsquo; perceived challenges and strengths of belonging to a military cultural community along with how they accessed resources for overcoming those challenges. Social Capital and Social Network theory situated developmental processes in a socialized context highlighting how interpersonal relationships shape development (Bourdieu, 1986; Daly, Moolenaar, Bolivar, &amp; Burke, 2010). Focus groups revealed participants faced many of the typical challenges facing military-connected youth. They also perceived many of those challenges as having promoted positive developmental outcomes: social skills, resilience, and adaptability. Social networks, friendship networks and support networks, played an important role in overcoming the challenges of navigating their military and civilian worlds. Findings indicated differences in academic outcomes (GPA) between military and civilian participants, as well as between enlisted and officer participants. Findings also indicated different social network patterns between enlisted participants and officer participants. The rich history of military support within the local community and school environment may have influenced how military participants integrated into the whole eighth-grade friendship network. This study sought to fill the research gap by accurately representing the social and educational needs and circumstances of military-connected adolescents in a military-dense civilian middle school and to help educators create highly supportive environments for military-connected adolescents in civilian schools.</p>

<p> Makerspaces are fertile grounds for students to develop innovative products infused with STEAM principles and cross disciplinary content knowledge; build technological fluency; and support positive developmental growth. Yet, rarely do Makerspaces prioritize these outcomes. Rather, they tend to revolve around the creation of novel objects using cutting-edge technology; craftwork unhinged from their historical, social, political, or academically-relevant underpinnings; and/or the hacking of so-called &ldquo;black boxes&rdquo;. </p><p> What happens when an educator designs and implements a research-based and content-driven in-school Makerspace? Drawing on field observations, interviews, artifact analysis, and the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) survey, this mixed methods study explored the experiences of students from two urban middle school classes (n=51) who participated in a social action themed Makerspace called the &ldquo;Tech Caf&eacute;.&rdquo; Working from a transformative research perspective, the Tech Caf&eacute; also sought to address the &ldquo;participation divide&rdquo;&mdash; a term suggesting that higher socioeconomic status students have more opportunity to produce media creatively than students of low socioeconomic status. </p><p> Qualitative results indicated that students reported increased agency in their ability to effect positive change in their world. They engaged in powerful collaborations with diverse members of the school&rsquo;s learning community as they worked toward solutions using low- and high-technology tools. Their products included a cigarette smoke detecting shirt, an edible insect bug stand, and a stationary making kit utilizing recycled paper. Student profiles incorporated their chosen social issue; steps and challenges in product creation; and outcomes pertaining to technological fluency and sense of agency to affect change. Findings showed that students may have benefited from scaffolding to deepen their understanding of important social issues through research.</p><p> Quantitative results of the DAP were statistically analyzed according to measures of Positive Identity, Positive Values, Commitment to Learning, Empowerment, and Social Competencies and indicated that no statistically significant differences existed in the pretest-posttest survey scores of participants (n=30). However, a descriptive analysis of score improvement showed that students who successfully created products in the Tech Caf&eacute; moved to higher DAP score ranges more often than those who did not create products. The study concludes with recommendations pertaining to the implementation of Makerspaces in schools.</p>

<p> The plight of foster youth having low graduation scores compared to their peers is a prevalent problem depicted in research for years. Statistics show foster youth as being an at risk-group for completing high school education and leading them to a lower quality of life once emancipated from the foster care system. Foster youth face incarceration, unemployment, lower wages, homelessness and substance abuse once adults, and there is a need for the strengthening of educational achievement in this at-risk population. The need for social workers&rsquo; to collaborate with school personnel is a necessary preventative measure to increase the quality of life with foster youth. </p>

<p> This descriptive study attempts to increase understanding of relationships between school contextual factors and the fostering of student prosocial development and reduced at risk behaviors among adolescent populations. Using an ethnographic design, the researcher gathered data from six rural public middle schools in Pennsylvania. Three schools with the greatest number of infractions and three with the fewest infractions per 100 eighth grade students represented both ends of the misconduct range and served as the study&rsquo;s sample. Data were gathered through school site visits, primary documents, interviews of school personnel, and an on-line survey completed by each school faculty. All instruments were informed by subscale dimensions represented by the Alliance for the Study of School Climate (ASSC) School Climate Assessment Instrument (SCAI).</p><p> Cross-case analysis revealed shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, and language of middle school administrators, guidance counselors, and teachers concerning factors contributing to their respective school climates. Contextual similarities and differences among school groupings were investigated through subscale dimensions of (a) faculty relations, (b) leadership and decision making, (c) discipline and management environment, and (d) attitude and culture. A paired-samples <i>t</i>-test of survey data revealed statistically significant mean differences for (a) leadership and decision making and (b) attitude and culture, with these variances being particularly evident after removing one school that emerged as an outlier. Data gathered from the study&rsquo;s other instruments aligned with this school&rsquo;s incongruous nature to all other schools of the sample.</p>

<p> This study examined whether teaching character competencies of growth mindset and grit in advisory to middle school students increases motivation in the classroom. The problem being addressed is the perceptions of teachers that student motivation has decreased over time, and the significance is benefits derived from the ability to increase motivation. A mixed methods approach with an action research design is used for collecting data before, during, and after delivery of the lessons/interventions, from self-reports, surveys, and journals, and the qualitative data augments findings of quantitative data. The qualitative findings allude to the possibility that the concepts of growth mindset and grit can be taught, but quantitative data do not support this conclusion. Mean scores for growth mindset, grit, and motivation are charted from pretest to posttest, and significance of observed differences of experimental and control group means were tested with a <i>t</i>-test. Teacher growth mindset means showed statistical significance and a moderate to large effect size, but that was not true for student growth mindset means and student or teacher data for grit or motivation. Multiple linear regression analyses did not prove any causal relationship between growth mindset and motivation, or grit and motivation, but the effect of grit was much greater than the effect of growth mindset on motivation. </p><p> <i><b>Keywords:</b></i> motivation, character competencies, growth mindset, grit, middle school students, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, persistence</p>