Few things strike fear in the hearts of parents like sending their child off to middle school. Parents of gifted learners fear for their child's safety--both emotional and physical--and their academic well-being. Having survived this transition, it occurred to the author that this experience would make an interesting research project and,…

Today's gifted children in middle school truly need advocates to ensure that school remains challenging through the middle grades and that the actions related to learning and talent development are positive experiences. Middle-grade advocates need a reason, a bit of prep, and a plan in order to be super advocates for children. As Chair for the…

Schools should be proactive rather than reactive to issues of technology safety, and this requires careful planning and policy implementation. In this article, the authors provide information and recommendations that will help middle grades educators, students, and parents to safely and successfully manage the many technologies they encounter and…

Not knowing multiplication facts creates a gap in a student's mathematics development and undermines confidence and disposition toward further mathematical learning. Learning multiplication facts is a first step in proportional reasoning, "the capstone of elementary arithmetic and the gateway to higher mathematics" (NRC 2001, p. 242). Proportional…

Because college admission has become much more competitive, parents and students need to know that excellent grades and test scores may not be enough to gain placement, especially in highly selective schools. Keep in mind that there are more than 25,000 class valedictorians every year, most with nearly perfect standardized test scores. Also, the…

A path model based in a theory of social capital was tested with Latino middle school (n = 195, 58% female, average 13.8 years of age) and high school students (n = 129, 64% female, average 16.8 years of age). Most participants (77%) were immigrants (predominantly from Mexico). Questionnaires assessed student perceptions of parent involvement,…

Analysis of writing samples from 135 students and interviews with 6 students about their experiences as sixth graders centered around 4 questions: (1) informants about school; (2) amount of stress; (3) safety; and (4) students' perception of school. Outlines activities that might improve the informant role of parents, siblings and peers, and…

Explains how parents can help their middle school students cope with cliques and find a sense of belonging in a healthy, positive way. This includes helping them identify the school's social hierarchy (the popular group, fringe group, friendship circles, and loners); discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each group; and helping them…

Collaborative ventures between families and schools can result in children being successful both academically and in life (Henderson & Berla, 1994; Jackson & Davis, 2000; Mapp, 1997). The most successful predictor of student achievement is an encouraging home environment, high expectations from parents, and parental involvement (Epstein, 2001;…

This article presents qualitative results of the first three years of the New Mexico Laptop Learning Initiative (NMLLI). Results suggest that teachers, students, and their communities support this initiative to improve student learning. Descriptive statistics were used during year two to further understand how the laptops were being used by…

Building on social ecological research, this study considers whether neighborhood socioeconomic advantage modifies the relationship between parenting practices and sex initiation among young adolescents. Using data on a national sample of 2,559 middle school students, the authors examined two-way interactions between neighborhood socioeconomic…

Research indicates that middle schools are very successful at meeting the needs and developmental characteristics of young adolescents. Middle schools use a team approach, providing stability and continuity as teachers integrate subject areas into broader themes and units. Parental involvement is encouraged at the middle school level. (SM)

Discusses what school professionals, parents, and PTAs can do to help middle and high school students comprehend and think critically about what they read, as well as encourage them to read outside of school. For example, teachers can create cooperative groups to study portions of text, parents can model reading at home, and PTAs can organize book…

Respondents to a questionnaire about the elementary-middle and middle-high school transition experience respectively were 173 sixth grade students, 83 parents, and 12 teachers, and 320 ninth grade students, 61 parents and 17 teachers. Results revealed that school transitions posed both challenges and opportunities for students. Parents and…

Parents and PTA members are actively involved at every level at the Applied Learning Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. This year-round public middle school is driven by applied learning. Parents are involved in school planning and design and actively participate in student assessments. (SM)