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ABSTRACTWe examined relations of U.S. teachers’ perceptions of mastery and performance goal structures to violence perpetrated against them before and during COVID-19. We hypothesized that perceptions of an instructional emphasis on mastery (i.e. mastery goal structure) would be related to lower levels of victimization, whereas perceptions of an emphasis on performance (i.e. performance goal structure) would be related to greater victimization. Using a sample of 9,363 teachers, we conducted negative binomial regression analyses, controlling for teacher and school characteristics. Perceptions of a performance goal structure were related to higher levels of teacher-directed violence, whereas perceptions of a mastery goal structure were related to lower levels of violence. Results underscore the benefits of school mastery versus performance goal structures for bolstering student motivation and teacher safety.

Thomas J. Capretta, Jingyang (Max) Zhang, Eric M. Anderman, and Barbara J. Boone revisit Joyce Epstein's 1995 Kappan article on overlapping spheres of influence and family-school partnerships. They highlight one idea from the article that has been largely overlooked — the role of student voice and leadership. To refocus researchers' and practitioners' attention to the role of students in family and community partnership, they synthesize existing research to elaborate on Epstein's original models and ideas. They provide three levels of research-based, practical recommendations for districts and schools to elevate student roles and cultivate student leadership in family-school engagement efforts. Finally, they illustrate what these practices look like in schools using an Ohio school district as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the importance of helping students understand the relevance of what they learn in school and offers strategies for educators to achieve this. It highlights the expectancy-value framework of academic motivation, which focuses on students' beliefs about the usefulness, importance, enjoyment, and cost of the content they are learning. By implementing evidence-based instructional practices that promote these beliefs, teachers can enhance student motivation and achievement. The article suggests strategies such as inviting guest speakers, involving parents in discussions about the value of academic content, increasing personal relevance, providing choice, and making academic tasks meaningful. These strategies can be implemented with minimal additional work for teachers and at no extra cost to schools. Ultimately, by improving students' appreciation of academic content, educators can boost student engagement, performance, and future academic and career choices. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractThe 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.

Sex education in middle and high school health classes is critically important because it frequently comprises the primary mechanism for conveying information about sexual health to adolescents. Deliver evidence-based information [...]

Students also reported decreased feelings of conflict between their homes and school and an increased sense of belonging to their school community, which is an important indicator of school engagement (Juvonen, 2006, Pope & Miles, 2022). Levels of trust between teachers and parents declines (Adams & Christenson, 2000), and parents and teachers are left uncertain about how they can work together to support students during this time of transition. Finally, district and school communication policies should go hand in hand with professional learning opportunities on strategies for partnering with families to support middle school students. The role of parents during the middle school years: Strategies for teachers to support middle school family engagement. [Extracted from the article]

The authors reflect on a multi-year project being conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University, in collaboration with a team of elementary teachers, to develop and pilot a curriculum designed to help fourth and fifth grade school students to explore critical social issues through deeper learning strategies. Topics discussed include the concept of deeper learning, the classroom activities given to the students, and the link between deeper learning and motivation.

AbstractFeedback 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.

EVER THOUGHT ABOUT CHEATING IN SCHOOL? MOST KIDS DO. HERE'S WHY--AND HOW YOU CAN RESIST THE TEMPTATION. You're taking a science test and are unsure of an answer. While the […]

The article discusses proper definition for the term "mastery" that would serve as an effective guide in education. It describes how educators use and understand this term, its initial representation in the literary collection "The Canterbury Tales," by Geoffrey Chaucer, and its comparison with other terms which include "competence" and "proficiency." It also explores how educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom introduced the concept of mastery in modern education.

The article discusses the importance of decision making by young students. The authors comment on how organizing and playing games such as baseball offer children autonomy and note how educational practices restrict children from decision making processes, reducing opportunities for children to learn responsibility and organization skills. They suggest responsibility should be developed in children both at school and home and that teachers should offer students greater freedom to manage their time, establish classroom rules and choose assignments and work locations. Conferences in which students exhibit their work can improve student engagement and increase parental participation in education.