This study investigated how a self-regulated learning intervention, implemented within a personalized learning environment, affected students' self-regulation, self-efficacy, and academic achievement at a middle school. The personalized learning environment in this study was two self-paced units within middle school seventh grade math classrooms.…

Instructional quality dimensions of cognitive demands and instructional support have been shown to have an impact on students' learning gains. Existing operationalizations of these dimensions have mostly used comprehensive ratings that combine various subdimensions of task quality and interaction quality. The current study disentangles interaction…

Leaders in education must focus on improving teacher attrition because teacher turnover contributes to lower student academic achievements by disrupting the learning environment for both students and teachers (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). This study took place in a North Florida School district where school and district leaders are…

Whole-school reforms have received widespread attention, but a critical limitation of the current literature is the lack of evidence around whether these extensive and costly interventions improve students' long-term outcomes after they leave reform schools. Leveraging Tennessee's statewide turnaround reforms, we use difference-in-differences…

With a renewed commitment to systematic efforts as school leaders use multi-tiered systems of supports to meet students' multiple needs as educators navigate through the pandemic era, it is helpful to learn from implementers who screened successfully prior to the pandemic. This model demonstration paper features the experiences of four middle and…

One of the biggest problems facing American educators is the challenge to increase student achievement in the era of accountability and high stakes testing (DuFour et al., 2016). Student test scores and achievement remain stagnant across south Georgia (GADOE, 2018a; GADOE, 2019b). One reform used by schools to help increase student achievement is…

This article delineates the success of a leadership plan that one middle school in Center Point, Alabama implemented as a response to a Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI) designation due to performing in the bottom 5% of all middle schools across the state. School leadership, in partnership with coaching from Studer Education, worked…

New Mexico is home to more than 28 cultures and ethnicities that deserve to be recognized, celebrated, respected, and accepted (NMDCA, 2019). In 2022, 318,613 students enrolled in New Mexico public schools, with the demographics breakdown of 22% of students reported as White, 61% Hispanic, 9% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Asian, and 2%…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teacher absenteeism and student achievement on the TNReady achievement test in the Southeast region. The three instruments used in this study were the TNReady achievement test results from 2018-2019, teacher absentee data provided by the local school district, and survey answers…

This study analyzes the impact attendance rates of middle school teachers have on academic achievement of students in South Carolina. The factors included are teacher attendance and student performance. The research will give an in-depth look into the affect's teacher absenteeism has on middle school students. And determined whether increased…

Middle schools often struggle to provide students with the necessary academic rigor to promote academic growth. Many students experience academic stagnation when schools fail to provide appropriate academic services. Dani Tinkel's article examines how the limited priorities of middle school inadvertently promote disengagement and underachievement…

This convergent mixed methods study sought to explore the effects of engineering design challenges (EDCs) on middle school students' achievement. Data was collected from four middle schools from an urban school district in Maryland. Two of these, Group A, included teachers with experience with EDC design and implementation; the other two schools,…

In urban areas like New York City, school choice systems intend to break the connection between residential segregation and schooling by allowing students to attend schools outside their neighborhoods. If successful, school choice could benefit historically underserved students. However, recent research suggests that achievement gaps and…

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) on student academic performance. The participants in the study are eight middle schools from an urban Southern California school district where the implementation of SWPBIS was mandated. Using archival data collected by the…

Research on middle-level schools and student achievement revealed a drop in academic performance when students transitioned from elementary school to a traditional middle school. In the United States, the middle school years have historically seen a decline in student achievement following a transition from elementary school. According to the…