Steven B. Mertens

Middle School Practices Improve Student Achievement in High Poverty Schools.

A dvocates of middle school education contend that young adolescents are more successful at schools that are developmentally appropriate, socially equitable, and academically excellent (National Forum to Accelerate MiddleGrades Reform, 2002). Critics of middle level education, on the other hand, often seek evidence of student success only in the form of student achievement data. The recent enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of2001 clarified this accountability issue by stating that student academic success will be assessed through annual student achievement tests for grades three through eight (No Child Left Behind Act of2001, 2002). Thus, student achievement scores will officially serve as the defining measure of success and failure for schools. The challenge for middle grades educators, therefore, is to understand how curricular coordination and integration, as well as classroom instructional practices, are linked to student achievement. We must also understand that there are differences in academic achievement among students of various socio-economic backgrounds, genders, and so forth. Further, it often requires diverse teaching and learning strategies to

What Makes Interdisciplinary Teams Effective

wo ofthebiggest misconceptions surrounding the implementation ofinterdisciplinary teaming inthe middle grades are that (a) the work is complete after teachers and students have been assigned to teams and theclass schedule has been rearranged sothat students on each team have all their classes together (Le., the structures are in place) and (b) the implementation ofteaming ensures that a school will positively impact teacher and student outcomes. However, thetruth is that notonly is the most challenging work tackled after teams have been formed, but, without thefollow-up work, tearning alone is notlikely to achieve sustained outcomes (Erb and Doda, 1989; Felner, Jackson, Kasak, Mulhall, Brand, &Flowers, 1997). For many teachers who are assigned to a team for the first time, working on an interdisciplinary team represents a change from thesecurity oftheir often isolated classrooms toasetting that requires collaboration, teamwork, and ongoing communication with other teachers. Since interdisciplinary teams are comprised of groups ofteachers from different subject areas who work togethertocoordinate instruction, communication, and assessment for a common group ofstudents, teachers must learn towork collaboratively, establish equitable responsibilities among team members, and set attainable goals for the team. Further, once teams have established professional and interactive relationships, they must learn how best touse their group efforts given thegoals they have set for themselves. Since very few educators are trained or prepared towork on teams, these are challenging and often frustrating tasks for even the most dedicated and caring teachers. However, when a team can crystallize its goals and tasks, its members can work together to influence curriculum and instruction, which in tum influences the learning process. In fact, schools engaged ininterdisciplinary teaming have a more positive school climate, have more frequent contact with parents, have higher job satisfaction among teachers, and report higher student achievement scores than non-teaming schools (Flowers, Mertens, and Mulhall, 1999). This article will identify and explain thetypes ofpractices and interactions that teams engage in, which intuminfluence instruction and student learning. Data will also bepresented to illustrate theimpact that common planning time, thesize ofteams, and the length oftime that a school has been engaged inteaming have on team activities and interactions. The data were collected from a group of155 middle grades schools inMichigan that are part ofthe Middle Start Initiative funded by theW. K. Kellogg Foundation. These schools participated intheSchool Improvement Self-Study, a setofsurveys completed by staff, students, and administrators, during 1994-95 and again in 1996-97 (FeIner, Mertens, & Lipsitz, 1996; Mertens, Flowers, &Mulhall, 1998).

Research on Middle School Renewal

Successful middle grades classrooms come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are colorful and stress creativity. Others are open and welcoming. All are active laboratories for the goals and programs of the school. Although schools operate on multiple levels school-wide, grade level, interdisciplinary team, and classroom it is the implementation of programs and practices at the classroom level that is most critical for improving student success. The classroom is where curriculum and instructional practices intersect with individual teachers and students. It is the place where goals are implemented and their impact is immediately observed in the teaching-learning process. Schools must establish good communication and collaboration among the people at each level of decision making to effectively implement classroom instructional activities. It is imperative, therefore, that teachers are included in the decision-making process regarding the implementation of curriculum and learning practices in their classrooms. At the same time, classroom teachers should understand that they cannot

Lessons Learned from More Than a Decade of Middle Grades Research

comes among middle schools that have imple mented the tenants of middle grades education? From our perspective as researchers, we can per sonally reflect on our work over the past decade. During that time, we have focused our research and evaluation efforts on examining the schools that serve young adolescents. Our research agen da has been to analyze how middle schools improve, what impact the improvements have on teachers and students, and how successful outcomes can be replicated in other schools. We believe that the foundation of research

Varieties of Parent Involvement in Schooling

In an educational climate characterized by an enormous emphasis on accountability, our nation has been busy defining its educational goals to enable us to participate in a global economy. Even in this context, the concept of family and parent involvement in school has remained a top priority. Two examples illustrate this point. First, in 1994, Congress enacted the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. As stated in Goal Eight, “By the year 2000, every school will promote partnerships that will increase parent involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children” (Sec. 102, 8, A). Some of the objectives of this goal included the establishment of programs to increase parent involvement, engaging parents in the support of academic work of children at home, and shared decision making at school. Second, parents are mentioned more than 300 times in various parts of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002), specifically in Section 1118, Title I. This section of the Act is devoted solely to parent involvement. More specifically, this section requires that school districts and schools receiving Title I dollars must have a written parent involvement policy and build school capacity to effectively implement the parent policy provisions. Additionally, this policy must be developed jointly with parents and the local community. For the first time in the history of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the law contains a definition of parent involvement: The participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school related activities including ensuring—that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and that other activities are carried out, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA (Parent Involvement). [Section 9101(32).EA]

Are Middle Level Principals an Endangered Species

Much has been written and recommended regarding the critical role of the principal as a transformational leader in the educational success of middle grade students (Anfara, Andrews, Hough, Mertens, Mizelle, & White, 2003; Clark & Clark, 2002; Jackson & Davis, 2000). What makes up this role and how it plays out in middle grades settings is a complex and poorly understood phenomenon. At the same time that national attention is being placed on the role of leadership in improving school achievement, educators and policymakers have become increasingly concerned about a potential principal shortage and apprehensive that a shortage of qualified principals will seriously affect middle grades reform. For example, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) reports that by 2005 almost 40% of public school administrators will be eligible to retire and that through 2006 the state will need approximately 2,100 new public school principals, assistant principals, and other school administrators (ISBE, 2003). Since middle grades comprise a majority of Illinois schools and serve a significant part of the student population, the impact of a principal shortage for the middle grades could be very serious. This problem is not unique to Illinois; it is a national issue that many states are either currently facing or are likely to face in the future. The results of this study have national implications for proposed solutions and recommendations to address this critical issue. In late 2003, the Center for Prevention Research and Development at the University of Illinois partnered with the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) to assess the status of principals in terms of current and future labor supply, and some of the major factors that influence the decision to become a principal. Although the larger study examined high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools, this article focuses on the results of respondents from current and prospective middle grades principals in Illinois. The overall goals of the study were to address the following three questions:

Understanding Indicators Related to Academic Performance

Summary With the new reporting requirements from theNCLB legislation, the use of data to assess studentand school progress is now becoming standard prac-tice for the school improvement process. Althoughstudent achievement scores will remain the primary,if not sole, indicators for most educators and policy-makers, they will provide a limited understanding ofpotential causes, processes, and solutions for improv-ing student achievement for differing studentgroups. Reform efforts must delve deeper into theunderlying factors that lead to student success andfailure, and to academic-related indicators discussedabove that demonstrate variation by student groupsand grade levels. Further, examining practices andtheir impact on these indicators is critical for imple-menting change. The data disaggregation processfurther directs the school improvement by under-standing the “big picture” for middle grades reformas well as identifying targets for immediate action. Finally, the academic indicators described hereshould be continuously evaluated and analyzed inrelationship to student achievement data. Thisongoing research and analysis will expand theunderstanding of the influence of academic indica-tors on student achievement, determine how theserelationships may change, and how they vary in dif-ferent contexts. Finally, data-based decision makingfor school improvement beyond achievement scoresis a relatively new and unrefined science. Emergingresearch and new computer technology are likely tomake collecting, organizing, and using data resultseasier and less costly, which will ultimately lead to abetter understanding of how students learn and suc-ceed in middle level schools.

How Does Middle Grades Teacher Certification Affect Teacher Practices and Student Learning

Adiscussion of how to define a “highly qualified teacher” will invariably include a wide range of opinions about such hotly contested topics as teacher preservice education, subject area specialization, and teacher certification and licensure. Advocates of the middle school movement have argued for many years that specialized preservice education, culminating in a middle grades certification, is essential to adequately preparing teachers of young adolescents. Specialized middle grades teacher preparation programs have been promoted and supported by several professional organizations, including the National Middle School Association (1991), the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform (2002), and the Southern Regional Education Board through policy position papers and recommendations (Cooney, 2000). The current research literature clearly addresses the need for more specialized middle grades teacher preparation programs, specific licensure for teachers in the middle grade levels, and improved quality of existing programs. To further strengthen the argument for specialized middle grades teacher preparation, additional research is needed to effectively demonstrate the effects of specialized teacher preparation on outcomes such as improved teaching and learning practices and ultimately student performance. This article will summarize research findings of the effects of teacher certification on the implementation of best practices (e.g., interdisciplinary team and classroom practices) and student outcomes.

Research on Middle School Renewal: Should Middle Grades Students Be Left Alone after School?

nities have a long-standing history of creating high-quality after-school programs for elemen tary school children, the community response to young adolescents has too often been to ignore their needs because they are not clearly under stood (Kerewsky & Lefstein, 1982). Of the more than 17,000 organizations that offer communi ty-based youth programs during non-school hours, only 29% of young adolescents are reached with these programs (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1995). Clearly, the need for after-school programs depends upon how the population in need is defined. Most youth development advocates would argue for a universal approach where all youth ages 5 to 17 should have after-school pro grams available to them (Center for Prevention Research and Development, 2002). Several stud ies have demonstrated the adverse effects of

Teacher Views on Collaborative Review of Student Work

Examining student work is not a new concept. Teachers have always spent a great deal of time grading student work and planning assignments for students. Historically, however, when teachers have looked at student work, they have generally done so alone rather than collectively (Little, Gearhart, Curry, & Kafka, 2003). These individual assessments of student work remain very important, and the process of collaboratively reviewing student work is not meant to replace them (Center for Collaborative Education, 2001). Rather, collaborative review of student work is meant to enhance a