This nonexperimental study examined academic performance profiles and contributions of language-specific and metacognitive skills to science reading comprehension of Grade 7 students of varied English proficiency. The sample included 204 regular education students, most of whom were English learners (ELs; 35 non-ELs, 86 current ELs, and 83 former…

This report provides a new resource for understanding the state of urban public schools in the U.S. Geared specifically toward city leaders who want to evaluate how well traditional district and charter schools are serving all their city's children and how their schools compare to those in other cities, the report measures outcomes for all public…

Exemplary Middle Grades Research: Evidence-Based Studies Linking Theory to Practice features research published throughout 2009 in MGRJ that has been identified by the Information Age Publishing's review board as the most useful in terms of assisting educators with making practical applications from evidence-based studies to classroom and school…

Background: Depression is prevalent among children and adolescents and often goes untreated with adverse effects on academic success and healthy development. Depression screening can facilitate early identification and timely referral to prevention and treatment programs. Conducting school-based emotional health screening, however, raises the…

In "Turning Points 2000," Jackson and Davis noted that "changes in middle grades practices have least often occurred where they are needed most: in high-poverty urban and rural communities where unacceptably poor student achievement is rampant". Even so, in many struggling schools, some teams have achieved success. Their…

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, HAS MADE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE RACIAL BALANCE IN THE SCHOOLS BY INSTITUTING VOLUNTARY, MANDATORY, AND REVERSE TRANSFER PROGRAMS, IN WHICH 1500 NEGRO AND 90 WHITE STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY PARTICIPATED. MOREOVER IN ANTICIPATION OF INCREASED INMIGRATION, THE CITY HAS DEVELOPED A NEW TYPE OF SCHOOL STRUCTURE FOR URBAN LIVING, THE…

This report is divided into five major components. Part 1 contains a brief description of middle schools as they have developed throughout the U.S. since the beginning of this century. Part 2 reviews the history of middle schools as they have evolved in the Seattle School District. Emphasis is placed on the role that the district's mandatory and…