The decline in middle school students' motivation and engagement during young adolescence remains a concern for educators, administrators, and educational researchers. This article draws on the philosophies of providing the appropriate person-environment fit and meeting students' basic psychological needs to enhance teaching and learning. These…

This article is a call to action for elementary teacher educators. Our early childhood and middle grades colleagues made a clear case for the importance of focusing on specific developmental characteristics and family and community influences on development during the critical years they represent. A similar case has not been made for the upper…