This report from the field shares information describing a pilot program that addressed the literacy needs of middle school culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. One of the authors played a key role in designing and implementing the Building Bonds family literacy program. This program was made to engage these students and their…

The effects of transitions impact students across academic levels in many ways. The transition to high school can be a vulnerable time; moreover, it may be an optimal time for preventive interventions. As students matriculate and transition from middle to high school, a concentrated effort must be made to improve the practices to best support…

Background: It has been widely accepted that Sports-based Youth Development (SBYD) programs are potentially ideal contexts to develop children socially and emotionally. However, there is a limited empirical examination on how validated models-based practices could be harnessed in SBYD programs to promote children's social and emotional…

The current case study examines the process and components of a multi-site school-wide restorative justice (SWRJ) implementation program. Using Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology and the Outcome Logic Model (OLM), the authors describe results from a collaborative program evaluation conducted by university researchers and external…

Nearly 30 years ago, Math Corps--a summer camp for middle school students in Detroit who could benefit from mentoring and positive influences--was started at Wayne State University (WSU). In 2015, the National Science Foundation awarded an Advancing Informal Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics (STEM) Learning grant to WSU. As part of…

Social-emotional learning (SEL) involves developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills crucial for success in school, work, and life. This study aimed to explore middle school teachers' perceptions of SEL implementation, the support needed, and the strategies used. It also examined the relationship between these perceptions and…

This article examines students' opinions regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a teammate in solving complex problems. The overarching goal of the study is to explore the effectiveness of AI as a collaborative partner in educational settings. In the study, 15 groups of grade 9 students (59 students total) were assigned a challenging…

Formal collaborative structures for teacher teams as professional learning communities (PLC) have long been a supported practice aimed at changing instructional practice and increasing student outcomes in a cycle of continuous improvement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of PLC teams at the middle school level in a…

Aim: This study investigates the impact of an enhanced physical education (PE) program on attentional functions in middle school students. The aim is to evaluate whether increasing physical education hours, emphasizing cognitive tasks and team-based activities, could positively influence students' executive functions. Methods: The study involved…

The focus of this practice-based research was to explore teachers' perceptions of implementation approaches to multitiered system of supports (MTSS). For more than 10 years there have been varied approaches for implementation of MTSS, which has caused a lack of guidance and support for teachers. Therefore, this qualitative descriptive study…

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' social justice-based practices, the outcomes of those practices, the leadership roles revealed in the process, and the problems experienced. The sample of the study consisted of 13 teachers who were reached through the snowball sampling method. 10 middle school and 3 primary school teachers working…

This systematic review synthesizes research on school-based crisis intervention protocols, descriptions, and evaluations. We performed a comprehensive literature search, and 60 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. We found an overwhelming lack of evaluation studies (n = 3), suggesting that interventions are being administered…

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects and impact of interdisciplinary teaming on teacher practices and efficacy. This study revealed the perspectives of eight 7th and 8th grade teachers, who teach one of the core disciplines (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies) and the school principal by interviewing…

Research from the field has indicated that when a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is implemented within education settings, these data-driven frameworks can promote positive student academic and behavioral outcomes, as well as safe and optimal school climates (Ockerman et al., 2012, Sugai & Horner, 2009; Ziomek-Daigle, 2016). As school…

Collaborative mathematical argumentation plays an important role in mathematics education. However, students often focus on the efficiency of solving problems and neglect the importance of expressing statements and reasoning in the collaborative argumentation process. Due to the weak knowledge changes in group argumentation, students' learning…