Education Commons^™

Fostering Student Agency To Build A Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community Approach, Holly Henderson Pinter, Lisa Bloom, Amie Broyhill, Kim K. Winter

Middle Grades Review

In this practitioner perspective, we explore the concept of student agency through the implementation of a student government association in a laboratory middle school. Interviews with a social studies teacher and her students offer perspectives of the impact of student voice and choice for student experiences. We describe three major lessons learned through this implementation process: students learn to have healthy conflict and cooperative skills; students learn the appropriate processes to enact change in a democratic society; and students learn to conduct service for their peers, school, and community.

Recovering Lost Local History: The Daily Record Project, Jeremy Hilburn, Tana Oliver, Leyna Varnum, Donyell L. Roseboro

Middle Grades Review

This practitioner perspective describes a collaboration between students and teachers at three middle schools, along with community partners, to recover and digitize news stories from The Daily Record, an African American owned newspaper that was attacked and burned in the 1898 Wilmington coup d’état.

Montessori Middle School: The Erdkinder, Luz M. Casquejo Johnston

Middle Grades Review

Montessori Education is over a century old. Since its inception, Montessori schools have been opened worldwide. While most are pre-schools serving three to six-year-old children, many people aren’t aware that Montessori spoke and wrote about middle level education before her death in 1952. Her concept for the Erdkinder, an intentionally designed learning environment for the adolescent ages twelve to fifteen, is described in this essay.

Conceptualizing Democracy As Preparation For Teaching For Democracy, Karynne L. M. Kleine, Christina J. Lunsmann

Middle Grades Review

In this essay, a broad spectrum of the work of influential educational scholars was examined in order to identify crucial components of teaching for democracy. Synthesizing the literature with their experiences as middle level teachers and teacher educators, the authors determined those conceptions that would be most fruitful for moving in-service teachers to enact the more “muscular” concepts that foster civic participation and social justice. This collaboration resulted in the identification of four democratic practices as a foundation for designing a course on teaching for democracy. These included amplification of the voices of historically marginalized people, recognition that those in …

This Is What Democracy Looks Like: Some Thoughts On Democratic Schools, James A. Beane

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Democracy In Middle Grades Education: Editorial Remarks, Penny A. Bishop, James F. Nagle

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Science; An Exploration Of Art Integration In A Science Classroom, Melissa M. Hunkins

Middle Grades Review

This Practitioner Perspective examined how art integration in a science classroom affects student engagement and scientific understanding. The study took place over one school year in a 7th and 8th grade science classroom, with a total of 57 students and a focus group of eleven students. Collaboratively, the science teacher and a teaching artist designed purposeful integration of art into two science units and developed a culmination project where students connected their science learning throughout the year to a self portrait. Findings indicated that art integration increased engagement and understanding and allowed students to visually express their learning. However, supports …

“Wonder” Through The Eyes Of Empathy: A Middle Grades Teacher’S Guide, Bobette Bouton

Middle Grades Review

This Practitioner Perspective provides brief definitions to the three main components of empathy (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) and outline the importance of incorporating empathy education into the classroom, specifically looking at the areas of diversity, social skills, and moral development. In addition, the paper provides teachers with discussion questions, prompts, and a “how to” guide to assist students in exploring each character through the eyes of that individual, while also helping to build empathy as they read and discuss the book. The objective of this paper is to help teachers think more deeply about how to use literature to encourage …

Picturing Teacher Agency: Developing Upstanding Heuristics In A Middle Grades Social Studies Methods Course, Jennifer L. Gallagher, Jennifer Farley

Middle Grades Review

This paper presents a multi-case study of teacher candidates in a pre-service middle grades social studies methods course. The research aimed to understand how the middle grades teacher candidates viewed their future as upstanders with agency in middle grades settings. The focus of the research was on heuristic representations that the teacher candidates created to illustrate how they understood their role in supporting the democratic aims of middle grades social studies. Qualitative data was collected and analyzed through chordal triad of agency theory (Emirbayer & Mische, 1998). The findings indicate that preservice teachers best understand their future as change agents …

The Status Of Middle Schools In The Southeastern United States: Perceptions And Implementation Of The Middle School Model, Ryan Alverson, Mike Dicicco, Shawn A. Faulkner, Chris Cook

Middle Grades Review

For more than 100 years, education communities have debated how best to educate the young adolescent. Proponents of both the junior high school model and the current middle school model have advocated for a specialized approach to educating adolescents that emphasizes the developmental needs of students. To accomplish this, various organizational structures and instructional approaches are recommended. This survey study examines the perceptions of these middle school practices and the implementation of those practices in middle schools in the Southeastern region of the United States. We note several key trends in our results and highlight key differences in perception of …

Career Exploration At The Middle School Level: Barriers And Opportunities, Samantha Godbey, Howard R. D. Gordon

Middle Grades Review

In this essay, we discuss issues related to the integration of career exploration in our nation’s middle schools. We discuss the theoretical and empirical basis for career exploration at the middle school level and identify selected barriers to its effective implementation, namely with regards to career advising and parent involvement. We also propose new directions for practice and research as we work to counteract these barriers.

Understanding The Developmental Nature Of Young Adolescents: Editorial Remarks, James F. Nagle, Penny A. Bishop

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Empowering Students To Take Control Through Student Leadership Teams, Andrea Gratton, Kyle Chadburn

Middle Grades Review

As our educational system becomes more focused on personalizing learning for students, it is increasingly important for educators to empower students to take an active role in their learning and their communities. In this practitioner perspective, two educators reflect on the process of establishing student leadership teams in their school, and on the research that supports such efforts toward developing systems of student agency and self-advocacy in education.

Chip: Community Historical Interest Projects, Joe Rivers

Middle Grades Review

This practitioner perspective presents a process in which state-wide initiatives can be used as tools for creating place-based, project-based collaborations between students and local organizations within the community. Vermont is focusing on Content Proficiencies, Transferable Skills, Flexible Pathways and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. CHIP is an effort to combine these initiatives and offer students meaningful school work that provides a real service for, and connects students with, the local community.

Middle Level Education Aims For Equity And Inclusion, But Do Our School Websites Meet Ada Compliance?, John A. Huss

Middle Grades Review

An often-overlooked component of a middle school website is the necessity for that website to be accessible to those with disabilities, while following the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act. In support of the belief that support the belief that inclusive education and respect for diversity should be integrated throughout the school, this study investigated the accessibility of middle school websites in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio by selecting a random sample of 150 schools and analyzing their homepages using WAVE (Web Accessibility Versatile Evaluator), which reports accessibility violations by annotating …

Implications Of Trauma-Sensitive Practices At The Middle Level, Lauren Dotson Davis

Middle Grades Review

This essay provides a broad overview of adverse childhood experiences and their impact on the middle level learner. Through a literature review, the author finds points of intersection between current research on traumatized students, best practices for classroom and school-wide procedures, and tenets of the middle level philosophy.

Research And Practice In Transition: Improving Support And Advocacy Of Transgender Middle School Students, Rebecca K. Lewis, Sabrina F. Sembiante

Middle Grades Review

In this essay, our purposes are to inspire particular avenues of future research addressing Transgender students, in middle school in particular, and to inform the professional development of teachers in support of these Transgender youth. In relation to the ways in which research can more authentically represent Transgender identity, we argue for the use of Transgender theory as a guiding framework for research addressing Transgender students, issues, and needs. We also describe the particular affordances of qualitative, ethnographic, and phenomenological studies in capturing the unique and highly personal experiences and realities of Transgender individuals, and specifically, in middle school. We …

Making Middle Grades Education More Accessible And Engaging: Editorial Remarks, James F. Nagle, Penny A. Bishop

Middle Grades Review

No abstract provided.

Comprehensive Farm-To-School: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Of The Classroom, Cafeteria, And Community, Suzanna Elkin

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Farm-to-school (FTS) programs are supported at federal, state, and local levels as a cross-sectoral intervention to curb rising levels of obesity, strengthen local food systems, and improve school climate and academic outcomes. Comprehensive FTS programming, according to the “3-C” approach embraced by leaders in the FTS movement, includes interventions in three domains: the cafeteria, classroom, and community. FTS programming in these domains may include procurement of local food; school gardens; and education related to food, agriculture, and nutrition. Existing research supports the comprehensive FTS approach, illustrating that multi-component programs with strategies that are integrated across these environments improve outcomes for …

Acknowledgements, The Vermont Connection Executive Board 2018-2019

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

What Visualising Strategic Reading Means For Young Adolescents, Cynthia Reyes, Penny Bishop

Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education Publications

Since middle school is a critical time for literacy learning in general and comprehension in particular, educators are left to ponder how best to teach these students. In addition, what role might student perception of reading strategies through visual depictions have in order to help teachers decide how best to guide their students with challenging reading. In this conceptual piece, questions that guided our research were, What can we learn from students about the strategies they use to read challenging texts? and How do these strategies challenge adult norms of what constitutes strategic reading for young adolescents? We collected and …

Development And Implementation Of Comprehensive Sexuality Education Programs For Middle School Students, Minta Trivette

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Background: Sexual activity in adolescents carries population health risks such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. Comprehensive sexual health education programs can be an effective strategy to help young people delay initiation of sexual intercourse, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraception use. As of the 2018/2019 school year, Burlington School District (BSD) middle schools did not have a comprehensive sexual health and safe relationship education program.

Purpose: Development and dissemination of comprehensive sexual health and safe relationship curricula for Burlington School District (BSD) middle schools.

Methods: This educational intervention was aimed at middle school health …

Changing The Narrative: The Educational Power Of Reading Young Adult Literature, Cary Rich Jewkes

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

We are what we read.

People read for many different reasons and outcomes. We may read for information, affirmation, escape, or inspiration. We may read to get in a better mood. Various studies have shown that readers are more apt to be empathetic, to understand that their experience is not the only experience. Through Scholarly Personal Narrative, I trace my own evolution of reading and my curious preference for Young Adult (YA) literature. Contemporary YA literature offers a unique combination of viewpoint, emotion, and transportation which allows for a deeper understanding of diverse backgrounds, and I explore whether a program …

Finding Faith In The Academy: Religious Exploration As A High-Impact Practice For Quarterlife Students, Angela Erdmann

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis argues for the inclusion of religious exploration among the commonly accepted list of high impact practices at institutions of higher education. In the last decade, colleges and universities have turned to high impact practices to bolster positive student outcomes in retention, graduation, campus involvement, and deep learning. In its basic forms, religion and spirituality have always been one way that humans have made sense of our most elemental questions: Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? At a time when faith and religion have become wedded to increasingly narrow ideological and political positions, student affairs …

Culturally Responsive Adult Education For Non-Western Learners, Asma Ali M. Abunaib

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Although education theory in general includes important insights related to the relationship between multiculturalism and pedagogy, a critical analysis of what are considered culturally responsive western adult education methods, such as Experiential Learning Cycle & Dialogue Education (ELC) suggests significant adaptations should be made when applied in settings with non-western learners. This paper highlights the challenges and opportunities of utilizing adult education methods as a framework in delivering learning opportunities in non-western settings or for non-western, new American communities in western settings. Specifically, the author discusses her experience in one Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Darfur, Sudan, presenting her …

Master's Project: Maple: A Sap To Syrup Guide, A Manual For Career And Technical Centers Of Vermont, Lynn Michelle Wolfe

Rubenstein School Masters Project Publications

Maple syrup production is a very important aspect of Vermont life and history. Every year in the early spring, people of all ages find their way to the woods to tap trees, collect sap, and participate in the great tradition of producing maple syrup. Maple syrup production is an essential industry from a historical, cultural, agricultural, and economic perspective. As the industry continues to grow, it creates potential employment opportunities for people of all ages, including recent high school graduates.

Through a collaboration between Vermont high school agriculture/natural resources instructors, the UVM Extension Maple Specialist, Shelburne Farms, and the UVM …

Forward, Dr. Susan R. Jones

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Online First-Generation Students: A Qualitative Study On Retention, David Michael Dearden

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Higher education institutions face several complicated and difficult challenges and one of those challenges, student retention, has been around for many years. Tinto (2006), a major researcher on college retention whose research has spanned over four decades, suggested that one of the most widely studied areas of higher education is student retention. Since the inception of higher education, institutions have explored and researched retention strategies to combat attrition. Many of the strategies and theories that address retention focus solely on the campus-based student. With the growth of technology, online education has become a new avenue toward earning a college degree, …

Designing A Survey Instrument To Operationalize Faculty Perceptions Of Military-Connected Student-Faculty Interaction At Civilian Colleges And Universities, Jennifer J. Rousseau

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The ways in which faculty navigate the relationship between their personal identity and the identities of their military connected students, especially concerning their approaches to teaching behaviors (Barnard-Brak, Bagby, Jones, & Sulak, 2011) are influenced by normative values that their institution or department supports (Weidman, 1989) as well as by the values that they themselves hold (Barnard-Brak et al., 2011). Given the fraught history of academia and the military (Summerlot, Green, & Parker, 2009; Downs & Murtazashvili, 2012), such variables are especially important to measure as student-faculty interaction impacts student learning outcomes (Cruce, Wolniak, Seifert, & Pascarella, 2006; Ethington, 2000; …

The Upsides & Downsides Of College Athletics Within The Ncaa: An Analysis Of The Rules And A Personal Account Of The Power Of Resilience, Cassidy Evelyn Derda

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

For the past five years, I have been a Division I Women’s Basketball player under the National Collegiate Athletic Association. I have played at two different schools, I have spoken to numerous investigators and lawyers, and I am now on my third set of college basketball coaches. Most athletes that enter college have one set of four-five coaches during their four-five-year period, I have had thirteen. College basketball has presented countless challenges for me mentally and psychically. For a while I thought that the adversity that I was facing as a young woman playing a high level of athletics …