Preventing Dropouts Among Minority Middle School Students
The dropout rate of minority middle school students is rising. This can be contributed to a number of factors that cultivate frustration and develop low self-esteem among minority adolescent students. Middle school students already struggle with self-image issues, but when the added pressure of factors such as low literacy skills, poverty within the home, early pregnancy and low regard for education are also introduced, these students become lost in the system and develop the desire to give up or dropout thus eliminating their opportunity to break the cycle of poverty by becoming educated and obtaining higher level paying employment.

Statement of Significance

The educational sector is under pressure to meet the new federally mandated guidelines of the "No Child Left Behind" legislation. Early childhood education has previously been the focus of the national goal that every child will read by the time they complete third grade.…...

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References

Adam, M. (2003). Fighting the latino dropout rate. Education Digest, 6, 23-28.

Banfield, K., Johnson, P, Thomas, P., Thieroff, A. (2002). Defying latino statistics. New York

Amsterdam News, 10, 18.

Benz, M.R., Lindstrom, L., & Yovanoff, P. (2000). "Improving graduation and employment outcomes of students with disabilities: Predictive factors and student perspectives. Exceptional Children, 66(4), 509-529.

Working with young people in an educational setting can be an enlightening experience, and one can quickly discover that most young students will do almost anything possible to please their teacher. This can be especially true in the elementary grades, but oftentimes the enthusiasm shown by these youngsters begins to wane by the time they reach the middle school groups.
Teachers of middle school students are therefore faced with instructing students who may or may not be motivated to be instructed, and this can be a very difficult situation, specifically when regarding a basic skill such as reading. Experts agree that "reading is a fundamental and necessary skill in order to successfully participate in society, yet employers lament that high school graduates lack the necessary literacy skills to be productive employees" (Kelley, Decker, 2009, p. 467). Many times the lack of reading skills can be traced directly to the lack of…...

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References

Aarnoutse, C. And Schellings, G.; (2003) 'Learning reading strategies by triggering reading motivation, Educational Studies, Vol. 29, Issue 4, pp. 387-409

Fawson, P.C. & Moore, S.A.; (1999) Reading incentive programs: Beliefs and practices, Reading Psychology, Vol. 20, Issue 4, pp. 325-340

Gambrell, L.B.; Palmer, B.M.; Codling, R.M.; Mazzoni, S.A.; (1996) Assessing motivation to read, the Reading Teacher, Vol. 49, No. 7, pp. 518 -- 533

Guthrie, J.T.; Mcrae, a.; Klauda, S.L.; (2007) Contributions of concept-oriented reading instruction to knowledge about interventions for motivations in reading, Educational Psychologist, Vol. 42, Issue 4, pp. 237 -- 250

A Practical Comprehensive Career Counseling Plan for Middle School Students
Thankfully, dreams can change. If we'd all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. – Stephen Colbert

Many young people have a general idea about what they “want to be when they grow up,” but as the epigraph above makes clear, these ideas tend to change over time as they learn more about the world and what types of occupations are available to them. To this end, career counselors can facilitate this process by helping students learn more about their viable career choices depending on their individual preferences and aptitudes. This paper describes a proposed “career day/fair” for middle school students to help them become more knowledgeable concerning their career choices followed by a summary of relevant career counseling contributions by other researchers. Finally, an explanation concerning the importance of addressing career education throughout the…...

Middle Eastern Students: What Is the Effect of Advisory Participation in the Adolescent Years- Grades 8-9
Benefits of student advisory

Adolescence and its effects on learning

Functions and Expectations of Advisory Program

Middle Eastern Student advisory experiences

Participants

Social and economic mobility is a function of educational achievement. It is important to ensure that all children receive education in order to secure their future and that of the nation. The U.S. accommodates many immigrants from the Middle East. Several studies done in the recent past have examined how immigrants fair in the educational system. However, few studies attend to the subject of adolescent students from the Arab world participation in advisory programs for schools and the effects of such participation explicitly. It is not clear whether the results of adolescent participation in school advisory programs would necessarily coincide with the participation by Arab immigrants. Considering the consistent negative portrayal of Arabs in news media; especially after…...

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References

Alexander, W.M., & George, P. S. (1981). The exemplary middle school. New York, NY: Holt, Reinhart, & Winston.

Al-Khatab, A. (1999). In search of equity for Arab-American students in public schools of the United States. Education, 120, 254.

American Psychological Association. (2010). 2008 APA survey of psychology health service providers: Special analysis. Washington, DC: Author

Arnold, J. (1991). The revolution in middle school organization. Momentum, 22(2), 20-25.

In short, there are numerous reasons to state the need for intervention of school counselor during the middle years, all of which can be summed up under the discovery that middle school students perform better academically, consider more intensively their future, and possess more achievement -- styled goals when they are in touch with a mentor (Zirkel, 2002). Students, at all ages, make choices, but middle school students are likely, for the first time, to make autonomous and independent choices that may significantly effect the rest of their life. Students seek differentiation from parents, responsibility, and independence, and it is the role of the counselor to assist students with decision-making skills and to help them select choices that are healthy and growth promoting.

Other areas that students need assistance in dealing with are class electorates as well as negotiating their way between multiple teachers and new peer groups. This complex environment,…...

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References

Akos, R, Konold, T., & Niles, S. (2004). A career readiness typology and typal membership in middle school. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 53-66.

Cobb, N. (2001). Adolescence: Continuity, change, and diversity (4th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

Eccles, J., & Templeton, J. (2002). Extracurricular and other after-school activities for youth. Review of Research in Education, 26, 113-180.

Mahoney, J., Cairns, B., & Farmer, T. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular participation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 409-418.

In the future, this can hurt the conclusions and findings. (Hill, 2009)
Key Elements: Select one or two key ideas from the article and consider how you can effectively connect them to your research question.

The two most important ideas from the article are: increased parental involvement and improved academic socialization strategies. These ideas will help to promote diversity by having the student learn in a format and background they are comfortable with. Then, these concepts are reinforced using socialization to help the individual understand them from contrasting perspectives. This is the point that diversification is improving inside the classroom. The way that these ideas relate to the research question, is they are highlighting specific tools that are used to achieve these objectives. (Hill, 2009)

eflection: Explain various ways that you could incorporate the learning theory expressed in the article into your teaching methods. Also, explain how the theory demonstrates Christian principles…...

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References

Holly Bible New International Version. (1983). Lebanon, TN: The Gideon's.

Hill, N. (2009). Parental Involvement in the Middle School. Developmental Psychology, 45 (3), 740 -- 763.

Expectations of Advisory Program
Validity threats

Foundation supporting this study design

Explain How Statement Meets the Criteria

Greenlee, B. J. (2010). School advisory council demography: Birds of a feather. Planning and changing, 41(1/2), 3-17

Adolescence is believed to be a stage in which people form their identity as well as develop the skills required for one to be academically successful. Benson &Poliner (2013) state that the failure of schools in involving most students due to their failure to meet 4 fundamental students needs: to love and belong, to enjoy themselves, have freedom and gain power. Thus, advisory programs are important for ensuring every student has a close relationship with a trustworthy adult that they can run to when they are having personal and academic issues (Knowles & Brown, 2000). This research is about advisory programs, how they enhance and analyze the association with academic improvement as well as the positive change that they may…...

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References

Arnold, J. (1991). The revolution in middle school organization.Momentum, 22(2), 20-25.

Barker, H. B., Basile, C. G., & Olson, F. J. (2005). Teachers as advisors: Fostering active citizens in schools. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 41(4), 167-171.

Beane, J., &Lipka, R. (1987).When kids come first: Enhancing self-esteem. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.

Benson, J., &Poliner, R. E. (2013).Designing advisories.Educational Leardership, 50-55. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleadership

These exams would also tap teaching performance and other capabilities unlikely to be adequately assessed using conventional paper along with pencil instruments." (Shulman, 1986, pp. 4 -- 14)
These different elements are important, because they are providing a foundation for helping the schools to become more competitive in mathematics. As, they are working together to create a basic standard for: improving learning comprehension and provide the ability to solve more complex issues. Over the course of time, this will help to increase the student's ability to understand a wide variety of concepts. This is the point that they will be more prepared to deal with the various challenges that they are facing in the 21 century. Once this occurs, it will help them to establish a foundation for adapting to the changes that they will have to deal with from: shifts in technology and through these transformations because of globalization.

To…...

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Bibliography

Content Knowledge for Teaching. (2010). Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Diagnostic Mathematics Assessment. (2011). University of Louisville. Retrieved from: http://louisville.edu/education/research/centers/crmstd/diag_math_assess_middle_teachers.html

Elementary and Secondary Education. (2004). NSF. Retrieved from:  http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c1/c1s1.htm#c1s1l3a 

Frequently Asked Questions. (2011). Core Standards. Retrieved from:  http://www.corestandards.org/frequently-asked-questions

Demographics
The Grace A. Dunn Middle School (grades 6, 7, and 8) in Trenton, New Jersey, has a demographic that reflects the ethnic diversity of the community. The Dunn Middle School is composed of: 5% Asian; 28.88% African-American; 60.93% Hispanic / Latino; 3% Native American; and 5% Caucasian (www.movoto.com).

There are approximately 289 females at Dunn Middle School (48% of the student population) and 310 males (52%).

How do the school's demographics match up with Trenton's demographics in Dunn Middle School's 08610 Zip Code? The neighborhood is composed of: 10% African-American; 2% Asian or Pacific Islander; 2% "mixed races"; 3% "others"; and 83% Caucasian. In the 089610 Zip Code, 48% of the population is male and 52% is female, the reverse of the population at Dunn Middle School.

As to the comparison between the Dunn Middle School and the reported ethnicities in the neighborhood, nearly 29% of Dunn School is African-American but only 10%…...

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Works Cited

Grace A. Dunn Middle School. (2012). Movoto School Rank for Grace A. Dunn Middle School.

Retrieved October 23, 2013, from  http://www.movoto.com .

Jersey Journal. (2012). Crime in Trenton still a hot topic at council meeting. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://www/nj.com.

Neighborhood Scout. (2012). Crime Rates for Trenton, NJ. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from  http://www.neighborhoodscout.com .

Education
Apex Middle School, part of the wake county public school system in aleigh, NC has implemented a rigorous curriculum for grades 6, 7 and 8. The curriculum for Apex Middle School includes the following: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Computer Education, Health and Physical Education (Wake, 2003). The objectives of each of these programs are stated below. The Apex Middle School curriculum and objectives outlined in this paper are similar to the curriculum and objectives for most public middle schools in NC. How does this differ from the middle school curriculum typically seen in New York middle schools?

According to the New York State Education Department, the objective or mission of educators is "That all students will meet or exceed high learning standards at the elementary, middle, secondary and continuing education levels" (NYSED, 2003). Major reform is currently occurring in New York. These reforms will have the potential to greatly…...

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References

Wake County Public Schools/Middle School Curriculum/Raleigh, NC/

 http://www.myschoolonline.com/site/0,1876,31679-750-33-1773,00.html 

 http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ 

New York State Education

These include: question/answer, lecture, demonstration, discussion, individual student projects, laboratory, technological activities, and supervised practice. Previous research has demonstrated that the use of informal knowledge, real world settings and opportunities to apply mathematical thinking are effective instruction methods for introductory algebra. For this reason, instructional factors are related to achievement in algebra (p. 102).
When comparing the test scores from Japan and the United States, House and Telese (2008) found a correlations between positive beliefs in the student's mathematical ability and their test scores. Those who believed they could do well in math performed better than those who expressed a negative opinion about their skills, when compared to their peers. In addition, students who worked problems on their own had higher test scores. This supports Silver's (1998) analysis that much of the reason why American students have poorer test scores than their international peers is due to the classroom instructional…...

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References

Falco, L., Crethar, H. & Bauman, S. (Apr 2008). "Skill-builders: Improving middle school students' self-beliefs for learning mathematics." Professional School Counseling, 11(4). p. 229-235.

House, D. & Telese, J. (Feb 2008). "Relationships between student and instructional factors and algebra achievement of students in the United States and Japan: An analysis of TIMSS 2003 data." Educational Research & Evaluation, 14(1). p. 101-112.

Silver, E. (Mar 1998). Improving mathematics in middle school. Lessons from TIMSS and related research. Retrieved December 14, 2010, from  http://www2.ed.gov/inits/Math/silver.html .

eading is a fundamental part of a child's education. Many techniques have been utilized in an effort to make learning to read and reading comprehension easier for students (McCray 2001). One such technique is Sustained Silent eading (SS). The purpose of this discussion is to investigate Sustained Silent eading as it relates to reluctant middle school aged children. Let us begin our investigation by discussing the theoretical framework of Sustained Silent eading.
Sustained Silent eading (SS)

Jenson & Jenson (2002) report that The Uninterrupted Sustained Silent eading program (USS) was first implemented by Lyman Hunt at the University of Vermont during the 1960's (Jensen & Jensen 2002). By the 1970's the program was implemented into the American public school system (Jensen & Jensen 2002). Forty years after its initial inception this same program has an array of aliases including: Motivation in Middle Schools (MIMS), High Intensity Practice (HIP), Free Voluntary eading (FV),…...

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References

Broughton, M.A., & Fairbanks, C.M. (2003). In the Middle of the Middle: Seventh-Grade Girls' Literacy and Identity Development Here Is a Look at the Ways in Which a Group of Girls Perceived Themselves and How Their Perceptions and Behaviors Changed as They Moved from the Sixth Grade to the Seventh Grade: The Middle of Middle School. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(5), 426

Brozo, W.G., & Hargis, C.H. (2003). Taking Seriously the Idea of Reform: One High School's Efforts to Make Reading More Responsive to All Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 47(1), 14

Crawford P.C.2004. Using Graphic Novels to Attract Reluctant Readers. Library Media Connection

Graham, S., & Taylor, A.Z. (1998). Exploring Achievement Values Among Ethnic Minority Early Adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(4), 606-620.

Mark Horton: A Nevada Middle School Teacher Who Compromised His Duty to Teach
ecently, a Las Vegas, a Nevada middle school teacher, Mark Horton, has been accused, by several students and their parents, of compromising his duty to teach, by engaging in lewd and lascivious behavior with young adolescent girls from his classes. According to Curreri and Planas:

Students in Marc Horton's physical education classes at Garside Middle

School called him "Mr. Horton." Other students, however, knew the 27-year-old teacher as "Softball Stud" or by one of his online computer identities,

"sleepiweasel77." Horton's apparent popularity with a handful of 13- and 14-

year-old girls, however, has resulted in his gaining another title: accused sex offender. (Las Vegas eview Journal, June 7, 2005, 1B)

Allegations of improper professional conduct by Horton include improper comments to and touching of these students, both inside and outside the classroom, as well as inappropriate e-mails sent to students, and inappropriate internet…...

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References

Currieri, A, & Planas, J. Middle school teacher suspended for sexual misconduct. Las Vegas review journal. 7 Jun 2005. 1B.

Stein, N.D. (Summer 1995). Sexual harassment in school: The public performance of gendered violence. Harvard educational review,65(2). 145-

"What is sexual harassment?" The guidelines of the preventing from [sic] sexual harassment.Kokugakuin University. Retrieved July 15, 2005, from: http://www

. 2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/shboushi/en/02_whatsh.html.

In conclusion, atkins draws an important link between teen childbearing and poverty, which takes this discussion past morals and values and moves it into socioeconomic territory. Half of all mothers currently on welfare assistance "were teenagers when they had their first child," atkins writes. Also, a) less than a third of teen mothers "ever finish high school"; b) the children born to teenage mothers "are twice as likely to raise their children in poverty"; c) the children of teen mothers "...are more likely to do poorly in school, more likely to drop out of school, and less likely to attend college"; and d) girls whose mothers were teenagers at the time of their birth are "...22% more likely to become mothers as teens themselves," thus completing the cycle and perpetuating the problem into future generations.

An article by Jennifer a. Hurley ("Promoting the Use of Birth Control Reduces Teen Pregnancy") reports…...

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Works Cited

Bakalar, Nicholas. "Adolescence: Abstinence-Only Programs Not found to Prevent HIV." The New York Times 14 August 2007: Retrieved Dec. 3, 2007, at  http://www.nytimes.com .

Garrett, Robert T. "Texas teens lead nation in birth rate." The Dallas Morning News 5 November 2007: Retrieved Dec. 2, 2007, at  http://www.dallasnews.com .

Green, Tanya L. "Parents Have the Right to Know when their Children Receive Family

Planning Services at School." Opposing Viewpoints: Students' rights. Greenhaven Press,

This could hurt the ability of educators to evolve with new difficulties. At the same time, it is illustrating the benefits that this can provide inside the classroom. (Lee, 2008)
Key Elements: Select 2 key ideas from the article and consider how you can effectively connect them to your research question.

Two key ideas from the article include: using technology to speak to students in a format they understand and utilizing key phrases / words during the discussion. The way these insights are connected to the research question is they provide tools and techniques for improving diversity on the middle school level. This helps these institutions to more effectively accommodate a wide variety of students from contrasting backgrounds. (Lee, 2008)

eflection: Explain various ways that you could incorporate the learning theory expressed in the article into your teaching methods. Also, explain how the theory demonstrates Christian principles in teaching.

The way these theories…...

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References

Lee, O. (2008). Science Curriculum and Student Diversity. The Elementary School Journal, 109 (2), 123 -- 137.