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Teachers experience verbal and physical aggression from a variety of aggressors in schools worldwide. However, most school violence and aggression research is focused on students, with few empirical studies examining teacher aggression from parent offenders. This study investigated the school ecology associated with teachers' experiences of aggression from students' parents. We applied and adapted a school climate framework to examine the qualitative survey responses of 450 United States teachers who reported their most upsetting experiences involving parent aggression. Using a directed content analysis approach, teacher victimization was examined through the four school climate domains of safety, academic, institutional environment, and community. Significant socioemotional and physical safety concerns regarding verbal and physical aggression from parents, often related to school discipline practices, were identified. In the academic domain, parent aggression was associated with parent-teacher disagreements regarding grades and services, challenges with administrative leadership, and job stability concerns. The institutional environment domain illustrated where incidents took place, school resources, and policies regarding security and student placement as key factors in parent aggression. Results from the community domain highlighted issues of communication, mistrust, negative attitudes, accountability, diversity, and neighborhood and societal factors. Teacher experiences and exemplar themes provide context and further elaborate upon the school climate framework. Implications for research, school practice, and policy are presented.

Background: Adolescents who begin high school with a poor record of academic performance are often at risk for developing maladaptive academic behaviors, which can impede academic success in the long run. Objective: Guided by the substantial literature on the academic and motivational benefits of adolescents' conversations, this study examined the differential effects of having conversations with different socializers. This study aims to identify consolidated and generalizable effects of various sources of support in adolescent lives and contribute to educational practice for adolescent academic adaptation by examining multiple types of socializers using a large nationally representative sample. Methods: Adolescents' conversations about course-taking and personal issues with mothers, fathers, teachers, friends, and school counselors were examined for their potential buffering roles in the relationship between GPA and maladaptive academic behaviors. Data from 22,940 students (49.22% female, 9th through 11th-grade) in 690 U.S. schools from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) were analyzed using multiple regression analyses that incorporated longitudinal sampling weights and adjusted for clustering within schools. Results: Conversations with friends about personal issues during the 9th-grade year predicted greater subsequent maladaptive academic behavior. Students with lower 9th-grade GPAs were more likely to utilize maladaptive academic behaviors during the 11th-grade. This association, however, was less strong when students had conversations about either course-taking or personal issues with their teachers. Conclusion: Adolescent-teacher conversations about academic and personal issues can buffer against the development of maladaptive academic behaviors during high school, particularly for students who are experiencing academic challenges.

Family engagement in middle school is essential to ensure optimal learning. Middle-level educators (typically Grades 5 or 6 through Grade 8 in the U.S.) play a pivotal role in helping to guide parents' understanding of their evolving roles in supporting their adolescents' academic success. Students particularly benefit from (a) parental support for learning that is developmentally appropriate, and (b) age-appropriate boundaries and positive relationships resulting in the perception that adults in their lives care. These strategies, supported by open lines of communication and effective partnerships between schools and parents, can support the academic success of middle school students and build collective trust between educators and parents. In this article, we provide research-based strategies for middle-level educators to effectively communicate with parents to bolster developmentally appropriate family engagement. These strategies are paired with examples demonstrating how the research translates into practice.

As the pursuit of multiple goals is an inescapable reality in everyday life, students are consistently challenged to self-regulate toward achieving an array of academic goals as well as social and well-being goals. Nevertheless, prominent self-regulated learning models are limited in explaining and guiding how students can self-regulate in the context of multiple goals. Hence, we developed the multiple goals regulation framework that reconceptualizes how students establish, pursue, and adapt an array of goals. We illustrate specific processes (e.g., goal prioritizing, goal shielding, goal switching) that students can engage in to self-regulate both within and between goals. The new framework contributes to the literature in three main ways. First, we challenge the traditional conceptualization of effective self-regulated learning that focuses on the persistent pursuit of a single academic goal without considering the interdependent nature of goals. Second, we facilitate a sustainable and adaptive cycle of self-regulatory processes by highlighting the importance of navigating and negotiating between multiple academic and nonacademic goals. Finally, our effort offers a more inclusive understanding of students' lived experiences by acknowledging a diverse set of goals that are closely attached to their social and cultural identities.

The disruption of in-person delivery of a sexual health education curriculum to students in 19 urban middle schools in the Midwestern United States was one of many complications in education due the COVID-19 pandemic. Given time constraints and need for program delivery, community partners collaborated to convert the curriculum for virtual delivery. A team of school health education experts, sexual health education professionals, educational psychologists, and an E-learning professional worked together in curriculum conversion, leveraging knowledge and expertise for production of a virtual sexual health education curriculum tool for educators to use for teaching middle school students learning in a virtual format and as an aid for future in-person delivery.

This qualitative study presents 27 students' insights about four teachers' implementation of an immersive Native American history curricular unit designed to equip students with digital skills to critically navigate complex, polarizing social issues. The Digital Civic Learning (DCL) curriculum used Google Suite and Google Classroom or Schoology to provide collaborative slides supporting immersive 2D-graphics, children's books/resources, immersive activities/artefact-creation, and multimodal tools (e.g., discussion posts, Flipgrid video-essays). Teachers regulated student thinking/behavior towards cohesive outcomes, and encouraged open-ended exploration, operationalizing the design framework as a zone of proximal development (ZPD). The history unit incorporates four cybernetic design features (DF) that enable teachers to steer student-centered collaboration within the curricular unit. The teacher serves four diverse roles (guide, facilitator, modeler, participant observer) mapping onto the DF. Results of focus group interviews with students, which were analyzed based on a theory-informed coding scheme and narrative inquiry, suggest ways for social studies teachers to operationalize the DCL immersive history unit as a cybernetic ZPD by adapting its basic structure to technologies accessible in their schools by adapting its basic structure to technologies accessible in their schools. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED627933.]

Social network analysis (SNA) consists of a broad set of frameworks and methods to assess how direct and indirect relationships influence individual functioning. Although interest in SNA has steadily increased in the psychological sciences, school psychology has not kept pace. This article provides a general overview of core SNA concepts, including how network data is typically collected in schools. Following this overview, we provide some caveats to considerations for school psychology researchers interested in collecting network data. Finally, we highlight the potential value of SNA to school psychologists by describing the networks of older adolescents as it pertains to aggression and the bystander effect.

Student perpetrated violence against teachers is widespread, yet few studies differentiate teacher experiences of violence by school level (i.e., elementary, middle, and high school). This study, based upon 2,558 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teacher survey responses, revealed differences in types of student aggression against teachers by school level. Middle and high school teachers were more likely to report verbal harassment compared to elementary school teachers. Middle school teachers were most likely to report property offenses. Elementary and middle school teachers were more likely to report physical aggression than high school teachers. Demographic predictors of teacher-directed violence were also examined at each school level. Across all school levels, urban teachers had a greater probability of experiencing a violent incident. For elementary teachers, race/ethnicity and teaching experience were also significant risk factors. Future research, policy, and practice implications and recommendations are discussed.

Middle school brings rapid developmental changes for adolescents, and parent engagement is as essential as ever. However, what worked for parent-teacher partnerships in elementary school doesn't fit so well in middle school. Adolescents are building their autonomy, and teachers must help empower parents' efforts to bolster students as independent learners through academic socialization. The authors explore how a brief texting intervention might build trust between teachers and parents, empower parents to support their children, and contribute to students' confidence and belonging in school. Results indicate that brief communications sent by text may bolster parent engagement efforts in middle school.

We examine the relationships of executive functioning problems (EFP) to academic cheating in a sample of 855 adolescents. Participants completed assessments of inattention, hyperactivity, and depression using the BASC-2, as well as peer-reports of externalizing behavior. After controlling for known predictors of cheating (e.g., demographics and depression), multiple regression analyses indicated that inattention emerged as a predictor of greater cheating behaviors (R[superscript 2] = 0.20). We also found that the positive relation between inattention and cheating was mediated by hyperactivity.

Deeper learning is great for exploring a topic in great depth, but it will fail if student motivation isn't taken into account. Researchers Eric Anderman and Adriana Calvit discuss how to align your deeper learning curriculum with motivational strategies for successful lessons.

We examined the relationships between teachers' communication styles and students' perceptions of the classroom goal structure. Within the context of high school health classes focused on teaching about HIV/STD/pregnancy prevention, we surveyed 456 students about their teachers' immediacy behaviors, efforts to make course content relevant, and their perceptions of the classroom goal structure. We found that the more teachers stressed the relevance of course material and used verbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors, the more students perceived a mastery goal structure in their classrooms. Conversely, when teachers did not emphasize these immediacy behaviors, students were more likely to perceive an avoidance goal structure. Immediacy behaviors were not related to perceptions of an extrinsic goal structure. Our results suggest that teachers can help create a positive, mastery-oriented classroom by communicating with students in a way that demonstrates authentic care and concern for students' learning. Implications for future research into cues students rely on when perceiving classroom goal structurers and implications for instruction are discussed.

Little attention has been paid to goal structures in health education, despite their well-established roles in motivation and learning. The primary goal of this study was to examine the longitudinal relations of classroom goal structures to high school students' (N = 636) motivation and learning outcomes in health education. We incorporated two aspects of motivation: self-efficacy for negotiating condom use and task values for learning new information about HIV and pregnancy prevention. Results revealed that students' perceptions of a mastery goal structure were positively related to their self-efficacy and task values, and also their knowledge and behavioral intentions one year after the health education curriculum had been delivered. In contrast, students' perceptions of an extrinsic goal structure were not related to their motivation and learning outcomes. Our findings suggest that the implementation of instructional practices focusing on mastery may enhance the efficacy of HIV and pregnancy prevention programs.

Much research has been dedicated to supporting school communities in combating the problem of school violence. However, violence directed toward teachers is under-investigated, and knowledge of how to support teachers is limited. This qualitative study used conventional content analysis to assess teachers' recommendations for preventing and improving the response to teacher-directed violence. The sample included 245 prekindergarten through 12th grade teachers, all of whom experienced school violence and participated in a larger national survey study on violence against teachers. Using a social-ecological framework and conventional content analysis, teacher recommendations for addressing teacher victimization were identified and organized at the individual, school, community, and society levels. Themes around conflict resolution strategies; improving policies, resources, and relationships with administrators; increasing parental involvement; and changing culture and laws were highlighted. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Feedback is a powerful means for promoting learning, but not all forms of feedback are equally effective. Guided by a large body of feedback research, we argue that personalized feedback provides a particularly important opportunity for enhancing motivation and achievement among middle school students. In this article, we review the extant literature on personalized feedback strategies and discuss four recommended feedback principles. We provide specific examples for applying them in middle school classrooms to promote student motivation and achievement. In addition, we discuss how each recommended principle aligns with the developmental needs of middle school students. We conclude with an example of how technology can facilitate the personalized feedback process.

Despite prior studies documenting learning difficulties among internationally adopted youth (IAY), none has explored academic motivation within this population. The current study addressed this gap by examining expectancies for success and task values in math and science among internationally adopted, domestically adopted, and nonadopted high-school students. Differences in students' math achievement and parents' beliefs about their ability were also explored. A subsample of 7,420 11th-grade students was selected from the "High School Longitudinal Study" data set (Ingels et al., 2011). After controlling for prior motivation, achievement, demographics, and clustering, analyses revealed that IAY held less adaptive motivational beliefs in math. Compared with their nonadopted peers, internationally adopted students reported lower expectancies for success, attainment value, and intrinsic value in math. Few differences in science motivation emerged, and no differences in math achievement were observed.

Violence perpetrated against teachers is prevalent and has the potential to adversely affect teachers' well-being, efficacy, and longevity in the profession. In this study, we examined teachers' reactions after having experienced violence, specifically examining the roles of attributional processes. In collaboration with the American Psychological Association, National Education Association, and American Federation of Teachers, data were collected via a survey instrument from teachers across the United States. We examined responses from 2505 participants who described the most upsetting incident of violence that had been perpetrated against them in their roles as teachers. We examined predictors of (1) communicating with others after the incident and (2) implementing intervention strategies with the perpetrators of violence. Emotions were tested as mediators of the relations between attributions and outcomes. Results indicated that characterological and behavioral self-blame were predictive of negative affect, which in turn predicted the majority of outcomes. Study limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.

The authors examined 1,781 rural students' reading motivation and behavior across the transition from middle to high school. Using expectancy-value theory, they investigated how motivational variables predicted changes in reading behavior and achievement across the transition in terms of their expectancies, values, and out-of-school reading behaviors. A repeated measures analysis of variance indicated significant increases in vocabulary, intrinsic value, and out-of-school reading, whereas significant decreases were found in attainment value. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated students' subjective expectancy for success was a significant predictor of increases in both comprehension and vocabulary scores. Students' utility value interacted with intrinsic value in predicting reading comprehension scores. In terms of change in students' reading behavior, their perceptions of intrinsic value and utility value were significant predictors. Gender interacted significantly with expectancies in predicting behaviors. Findings have implications for instructional support, particularly as it relates to reading motivation across the transition from middle to high school.

Academic cheating occurs frequently in schools. Cheating is a deliberative act, in that students make a conscious decision to engage in academic dishonesty. Students' achievement goals, which are malleable, often guide the ways that students make such decisions. Educators can incorporate various instructional practices and support academic policies that enhance positive motivational beliefs (e.g., mastery goals), potentially reducing academic dishonesty.

Psychological science has much to contribute to preK-12 education because substantial psychological research exists on the processes of learning, teaching, motivation, classroom management, social interaction, communication, and assessment. This article details the psychological science that led to the identification, by the American Psychological Association's Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education, of the "Top 20 Principles from Psychology for PreK-12 Teaching and Learning." Also noted are the major implications for educational practice that follow from the principles.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relations between principals' perceived autonomy support from superintendents, affective commitment to their school districts, and job satisfaction. We also explore possible moderation effects of principals' career experiences on these relations. Data were collected from K-12 public school principals in the United States (N = 1,501) who completed an online survey. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses. The results indicate that principals are more likely to be affectively committed to their school districts and more satisfied with their jobs when they perceive their superintendents as more autonomy supportive. In addition, we found a significant interaction between perceived autonomy support and years of employment by current school districts indicating that the relation between autonomy support and affective commitment is particularly important for principals with fewer years of experience in their current school districts. The results of the present study suggest that superintendents should work to ensure that principals perceive a sense of encouragement, understanding, and decision-making support, especially principals with less experience in the school district.

Background: There is much interest in assessing growth in student learning. Assessments of growth have important implications and affect many policy decisions at many levels. Aims: In the present article, we review some of the different approaches to measuring growth and examine the implications of their usage. Sample: Samples used in research on growth models typically include students enrolled in public schools that primarily serve kindergarten through the 12th grade. Method: Definitions of growth and gain are reviewed, and five types of growth models are examined: (1) Student Gain Score Model, (2) The Covariate Adjustment Model, (3) The Student Percentile Gain Model--referred to as single-wave value-added models, (4) Univariate Value-Added Response Models, and (5) Multivariate Value-Added Response Models. Results: Modelling approaches are vastly different, whereas Student Gain Models are mathematically and conceptually simple, Multivariate Models are highly complex. Conclusion: Educators assessing growth must make critical decisions about measurement. The type of instrument that is selected and the type of analytic techniques selected are of great importance. Growth must be considered from technical, pedagogical, and policy perspectives.