Curriculum should be presented in relevance to the students own lives. School atmosphere should be caring and supportive to show that they are important. Middle-schoolers need to feel their opinions and thoughts are respected. Parents should be involved in school to increase the feeling of support. School should be part of the large civic community. Students should be encouraged to develop good health habits.
Middle schools are larger than grade schools, exposed to larger number of peers and a different group of kids in each class. This results in them being more impersonal like high schools are but middle school students may not be prepared socially for this. There is less time spent with one teacher, so don't get to form a personal environment. Spend less time with their close friendships in addition the ones who are on different academic levels will have more distance between them.
Can help students succeed by being flexible and patient yet demanding high-quality work. To do well, students need to know that their teachers believe in their ability to master the course material and care about their success. Negative teacher expectations fall disproportionately in girls, children from racial/ethnic minority groups, and children in low SES families. Teachers should be supportive, engaging, flexible, and provide feedback.
Argue that the purpose of education is to prepare students for life by teaching citizenship, home and family living, a vocation, physical health, gratifying use of leisure time, and effective personality growth. Believe students should be recognized as individuals, trained to be participants in community, and treated in a culturally sensitive manner.
Students are more engaged in school when they feel supported which is more likely to happen in smaller schools. They do better in smaller schools because they will be able to enjoy active, meaningful participation in activities and better quality of teacher monitoring. Unfortunately, impoverished, inner-city youth are most likely to be in the most overcrowded, largest schools. Relativity small is best (less than 1000 students) because they are given more opportunities to get involved because it's less competition for the limited spots. they also feel less anonymous because teachers are more likely to know them by name and know a little about them. Better monitoring by staff.
Successful schools support all students not just the academic ones.
Drop outs say they leave because classes were uninteresting, had missed too much school, friends weren't in school, given too much freedom and school was chaotic, failing, needed money, pregnant, or had to care for family member.
cummings and his collegues have proposed emotion security theory which states that children appraise marital conflict in terms of their sense of security and safety in the family
parents serve as important attachment figures resources and support systems as adolescents explore a wider more complex social world
conflict between parents and adolescents espeically between mothers and sons is the most stressful during the peak of pubertal growth
parents encourage adolescents to be independent but still place limits and controls on their actions
Most adolescents completely cope with their parents divorce