Best Practices From High Performing Middle Schools

Why is it that many students’ performance tends to drop in the middle school years, and what can we do about it? This book tells the stories of educators who embody best practices in their day-to-day activities—practices that consistently lead to higher student academic achievement. The authors share what they have learned about how some middle schools consistently foster better academic performance than other similar schools. These schools have learned to successfully adapt to the climate of accountability while practicing the essentials of effective middle-level education. Best Practices from High-Performing Middle Schools is essential reading for everyone who cares about adolescents and wants to ensure their success in later schooling and in life. Teachers and administrators will find research-based practices that they can adapt to their own unique contexts. Parents, policymakers, and community members will better understand how they can contribute to the improvement of their middle schools. Book Features: Identifies 5 key elements or “best practices” that were present in high-performing middle schools. Includes a self-assessment tool for each best practice to help educators identify where their school’s or district’s efforts fall along these five key elements. Presents key research that speaks to communities striving to serve large numbers of children from low-income families.

In their second collaboration, Wilcox and Angelis tell the stories of high school educators who embody best practices in their day-to-day activitiespractices that consistently lead to higher student academic achievement across the core subjects for all students. This book shares results of a multi-case study of how some high schools consistently deliver better student performance, including improved four-year graduation rates. These schools have learned how to successfully adapt to the climate of increased (and increasing) accountability. Best Practices from High-Performing High Schools is for anyone who strives to ensure that all teens graduate from high school and are ready to succeed in college, in their careers, and in life.

This book provides easy-to-skim profiles of innovative programs and practices which have been implemented at middle schools across the country.

The second edition of The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education has been revised, updated, and expanded since its original publication in 2005. The Encyclopedia is a comprehensive overview of the field; it contains alphabetically organized entries that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, publications, and research studies specifically related to middle grades education. This edition contains over 210 entries from nearly 160 expert contributors, this is a 25% increase in the number of entries over the first edition. The Encyclopedia is aimed at a general audience including undergraduate students in middle?level teacher preparation programs, graduate students, higher education faculty, and practitioners and administrators. The comprehensive list of entries are comprised of both short entries (500 words) and longer entries (2000 words). A significant number of entries appearing in the first edition have been revised and updated. Citations and references are provided for each entry.

This volume in The Handbook of Research on Middle Level Education gives an introduction to professional preparation and development of middle level teachers and administrators.

Backed by solid research, Writing Instruction That Works answers the following question: What is writing instruction today and what can it be tomorrow? This up-to-date, comprehensive book identifies areas of concern for the ways that writing is being taught in todays secondary schools. The authors offer far-reaching direction for improving writing instruction that assist both student literacy and subject learning. They provide many examples of successful writing practices in each of the four core academic subjects (English, mathematics, science, and social studies/history), along with guidance for meeting the Common Core standards. The text also includes sections on Technology and the Teaching of Writing and English Language Learners.

Learn how to help struggling middle & high school students through the implementation of Response To Intervention (RTI). This book provides advice for tailoring RTI to the realities of secondary settings, including compartmentalized instruction, highly demanding curriculum expectations, complex schedules and students who are approaching adulthood and have a significant voice in their own education program.