(Sponsored by the Middle Level Education Research SIG and the National Middle School Association) The Young Adolescent and the Middle School focuses on issues related to the nature of young adolescence and the intersection of young adolescence with middle level schooling. This volume of the Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education marks the sixth installment in the series. The Handbook series, begun in 2001 by Vince Anfara, the series editor, has addressed varying thematic issues important to middle level education research. This volume, The Young Adolescent and the Middle School, focuses on the unique developmental needs of young adolescents and the role of the middle school in attending to these needs. The contributing authors in this volume address one of three developmental areas critical to young adolescents—physical development, intellectual/cognitive development, or social and personal development—and how these developmental characteristics affect the educational environment and the organization of middle schools.

In 1995, the National Middle School Association published a position paper defining foundational characteristics of developmentally responsive middle schools and program components that would create the kind of schools young adolescents need and deserve. This book provides a comprehensive, whole vision of schooling for the middle grades and makes more practical and accessible the basic concepts set forth in the 1995 position paper. The chapters are: (1) "The Imperative to Act" (Thomas O. Erb); (2) "Educators Committed to Young Adolescents" (C. Kenneth McEwin and Thomas S. Dickinson); (3) "Developing and Implementing a 'Shared Vision'" (Sue Swaim); (4) "High Expectations for All" (John Arnold); (5) "Advisory: Advocacy for Every Student" (Ross M. Burkhardt); (6) "School, Family, and Community Partnerships" (Joyce L. Epstein); (7) "A Positive School Climate" (Marion Johnson Payne); (8) "Curriculum That Is Challenging, Integrative, and Exploratory" (Chris Stevenson); (9) "Varied Teaching and Learning Approaches" (Barbara L. Brodhagen); (10) "Assessment and Evaluation that Promote Learning" (Gordon F. Vars); (11) "Flexible Organizational Structures" (Deborah Kasak); (12) "Programs and Policies that Foster Health, Wellness, and Safety" (Jean Schultz); and (13) "Comprehensive Guidance and Support Services" (Sherrel Bergmann). All chapters contain references. (KB)

Many young adolescents, possibly as many as half, feel boxed in and bored in their middle schools. Research suggests that schools, parents, and the rest of the community must do more to make middle schools places where young adolescents thrive. In spite of the emergence of the junior high school and later the middle school in the 20th century, gaps still exist in understanding how context, culture, and environmental change affect young adolescents. Nevertheless, there has been significant progress in the past 25 years, and slightly more than half of middle schools today seem to be using practices that are exactly what experts say is needed for excellence. Developmentally responsive middle schools are characterized by educators committed to young adolescents, a shared vision, high expectations for all, an adult advocate for every student, family and community partnerships, and a positive school climate. Responsive middle schools provide: (1) challenging, integrative, and exploratory curriculum; (2) varied teaching and learning approaches; (3) assessment and evaluation that promote learning; (4) flexible organizational structures; (5) programs and policies that foster health, wellness, and safety; and (6) comprehensive guidance and support services. A discussion of the characteristics of normal adolescence emphasizes the ways these school characteristics and schools can mesh. Support through caring relationships with family and unrelated adults is the single most important asset young adolescents can have. Schools and communities need supportive teachers and other adults to present a shared vision for success. (Contains 88 references.) (SLD)

At a time when the public, researchers, and policymakers are losing confidence in public schooling, this presentation of case studies of four schools offers solutions and concrete models of diverse ways in which excellence can be attained in middle-grade schools. Asking what "effectiveness" means for the young adolescent age group (a hitherto unexplored area in research literature), how effective schools come about, and how they achieve acceptance in their communities, Lipsitz identifies and examines successful middle-grade schools, noting that the major problem in schooling is meeting the massive individual differences in the development of early adolescents.

Declining academic performance, along with a growing apathy of students toward the value of education, demonstrates that students in the United States public education system do not recognize the value of a positive experience in middle schools. A plethora of research and writing has been done on elementary schools and secondary schools, but middle school education, as a whole, has been left behind. For this reason, there is the need for current research on all aspects and topics that may contribute to middle school student success. Promoting Positive Learning Experiences in Middle School Education focuses on the ideal conditions for maximizing student success and engagement in middle school education. The chapters take a deeper look into the modern tools, technologies, methods, and theories driving current research on middle school students, their teachers, their classroom environment, and their learning. Highlighting topics such as curriculum reform, instructional strategies and practices, effective teaching, and technology in the modern classroom, this book is ideally intended for middle school teachers, middle school administrators, and school district administrators, along with practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in middle school education and student success.

Young teens undergo multiple changes that seem to set them apart from other students. But do middle schools actually meet their special needs? The authors describe some of the challenges and offer ways to tackle them, such as reassessing the organization of grades K-12; specifically assisting the students most in need; finding ways to prevent disciplinary problems; and helping parents understand how they can help their children learn at home.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

This textbook offers comprehensive information for middle level educators on understanding and addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in teaching students in Grades 5-9. It illuminates the unique developmental processes of this population - physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and identity searches - and presents strategies for fostering their healthy overall growth. Drawing from neuroscience and psychological research, early chapters provide descriptions of middle schoolers' developmental characteristics, while the remaining chapters delve into instructional, curricular, and assessment processes that match young adolescents' needs. Together they create an extensive and distinct road map for designing effective schools for young adolescents. The personal thoughts of students including those of the Global Majority, those who are LGBTQIA+, and students who are immigrants are provided with suggestions for how teachers should respond to their experiences and needs. An emphasis on equity and the importance of promoting racial, social, and gender justice in schools is also a focus throughout, as well as the encompassing effect of modern technology and the Internet on adolescents' learning and psyches. Ideal for courses in middle level education and young adolescent development, this book supports preservice teachers to be well prepared to meet their middle level students' learning needs, both from a developmental and equitable lens. Inservice teachers working in the middle level will also gain an up-to-date perspective on young adolescent developmental trends and teaching strategies that best support their students.

Early adolescence as a developmental period is examined, the physical, psychosocial, and cognitive characteristics of 10-to-15-year-olds are described, and recommendations are given on how middle level schools can provide developmentally appropriate educational experiences. The book shows how young adolescents' physical, psychosocial, and cognitive developmental characteristics can form the basis for curricular, instructional, and organizational decisions. Resources for middle level school educators are listed, including professional associations, Web sites, and resource centers. The author is affiliated with Old Dominion University. There is no subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR