In 2015-16, the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG), an affiliate of the American Educational Research Association, undertook a collaborative project-the development of a new middle grades education research agenda. The purpose of the MLER SIG Research Agenda (Mertens et al., 2016) was to develop a set of questions that would guide the direction of middle grades education research. Ideally, this Research Agenda would serve to prompt discourse and generate research projects that could contribute to the middle grades knowledge base. Members of the MLER SIG identified eight research areas: (a) young adolescent development, (b) cultural responsiveness, (c) special populations, (d) educator development, (e) curriculum, (f) social and emotional learning, (g) digital technologies, and (h) school structures. This volume contains the extensive literature reviews and subsequent research questions for each of the research topics.

The second edition of The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education has been revised, updated, and expanded since its original publication in 2005. The Encyclopedia is a comprehensive overview of the field; it contains alphabetically organized entries that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, publications, and research studies specifically related to middle grades education. This edition contains over 210 entries from nearly 160 expert contributors, this is a 25% increase in the number of entries over the first edition. The Encyclopedia is aimed at a general audience including undergraduate students in middle?level teacher preparation programs, graduate students, higher education faculty, and practitioners andadministrators. The comprehensive list of entries are comprised of both short entries (500 words) and longer entries (2000 words). A significant number of entries appearing in the first edition have been revised and updated. Citations and references are provided for each entry.

The Encyclopedia of Middle Level Education is designed to be a comprehensive overview of the field. This publication will include seven anchor essays (5000 words) that will over the following topics: the history of the middle school movement; academically excellent curriculum, instruction, and assessment; developmental responsiveness in relation to young adolescents; social equity in middle grades schools; teacher and administrator preparation and professional development; middle school reform models; and future directions in relation to the movement, practices, and policy. Authorship of the anchor essays is by invitation only. In addition to these anchor essays, the encyclopedia will contain alphabetically organized entries (short entries approximately 500 words; long entries approximately 2000 words) that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, and seminal publications related to middle level education. A tentative listing of entries and their corresponding lengths can be found at http://www.rmle.pdx.edu/. Contributors to the encyclopedia will be expected to provide enough information so that the reader can place the idea, concept, person, etc. into its proper context in the history of the middle school movement. Entries are meant to be introductory; after an overview of the essentials of the topic the reader will be guided to more extensive sources for further investigation. Where appropriate, the reader should be directed to electronic sources such as websites where additional information can be retrieved.

A volume in The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education series (Sponsored by the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group and the National Middle School Association ) Studies like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have compared the performance of U.S. middle grade students (i.e., eighth graders) to those in other countries. In relation to middle grade schools, 20 countries outperformed the United States in mathematics and nine countries scored above the U.S. in science. The intent of this volume of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education, An International Look at Educating Young Adolescents, is to broaden our understanding of middle grade schooling by critically examining the education of young adolescents (ages 10-15, typically grades 6-8) through an international lens. In addition to looking at how schooling and students are organized for teaching and learning, this handbook will focus on the successes and failures that are evident in a wide variety of nations, present the indictments and praises that have been offered by supporters and critics alike, and review the research that has been generated about educating young adolescents in an effort to cross national boundaries. Ultimately, this volume of the handbook series will explore what international perspectives teach us about the effective education of young adolescents

The Young Adolescent and the Middle School, will focus on issues related to the nature of young adolescence and the intersection of young adolescence with middle level schooling. Examples of topics related to young adolescence include: (a) the developmental characteristics (i.e., physical, emotional, cognitive, social, ethical/moral, psychological), (b) self esteem, (c) identity formation, (d) issues related to gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, (e) peer pressure (e.g., bullying, suicide, and at-risk behaviors). Possible chapters that focus on the intersection of the nature of young adolescence with middle level schools include: (a) appropriate structures, organizational arrangements, interventions, and practices that are developmentally appropriate; (b) curricular, instructional, and assessment issues as they relate to this developmental period; (c) the characteristics/qualities of teachers and administrators that are essential for effectively working with young adolescents; and (d) issues related to special education; and (e) the involvement of family in middle level schooling. Of particular interest to the editor are manuscripts that present the perspectives of students on various issues related to young adolescence and schooling. Please check with the editor if you have any questions regarding the appropriateness of a topic.

The Young Adolescent and the Middle School, will focus on issues related to the nature of young adolescence and the intersection of young adolescence with middle level schooling. Examples of topics related to young adolescence include: (a) the developmental characteristics (i.e., physical, emotional, cognitive, social, ethical/moral, psychological), (b) self esteem, (c) identity formation, (d) issues related to gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, (e) peer pressure (e.g., bullying, suicide, and at-risk behaviors). Possible chapters that focus on the intersection of the nature of young adolescence with middle level schools include: (a) appropriate structures, organizational arrangements, interventions, and practices that are developmentally appropriate; (b) curricular, instructional, and assessment issues as they relate to this developmental period; (c) the characteristics/qualities of teachers and administrators that are essential for effectively working with young adolescents; and (d) issues related to special education; and (e) the involvement of family in middle level schooling. Of particular interest to the editor are manuscripts that present the perspectives of students on various issues related to young adolescence and schooling. Please check with the editor if you have any questions regarding the appropriateness of a topic.

The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education provides a comprehensive overview of the field. This publication includes seven anchor essays (5000 words) that cover the following topics: the history of the middle school movement; academically excellent curriculum, instruction, and assessment; developmental responsiveness in relation to young adolescents; social equity in middle grades schools; leadership in middle level schools; teacher and administrator preparation and professional development; and future directions in relation to the movement, practices, and policy. Leading scholars in the field of middle grades education were invited to author these essays. In addition to the seven anchor essays, the encyclopedia contains alphabetically organized entries (short entries approximately 500 words; long entries approximately 2000 words) that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, and seminal publications related to middle grades education. Contributors to the encyclopedia have provided sufficient information so that the reader can place the idea, concept, person, etc. into its proper context in the history of the middle school movement. Entries are meant to be introductory; after an overview of the essentials of the topic the reader is guided to more extensive sources for further investigation. Where appropriate, the reader is also directed to electronic sources such as websites where additional information can be retrieved.