Poverty Matters in Middle School Transition: A Tale of

Four Schools

Antoinette Errante & Tracey A. Stuckey-Mickell

The Ohio State University

AERA – April 27, 2013

Impetus for the Study

Fieldston Public School District

OSU EHE Research Team

Primary Research Questions

• How do administrators,’ teachers’, parents’ and students’ perceive middle school transition? What social, academic, and developmental factors influence the 6th grade experience?

• How do 6th graders perceive their middle school transition and the factors predictive of dropout?

• To what degree do students, teachers and parents identify school-related factors (e.g. school safety, sense of academic self-efficacy, supportive learning environments, relationships with peers and teachers) as contributing to chronic absenteeism?

• What can FPS do to create a more supportive transition experience, particularly for students at greatest dropout risk?

Theory and Related Literature

• Recent work at John Hopkins – Grad Nation (2009)

• Existing research has found: • Transition to middle school as challenging and impactful

• Four predictive factors for HS dropout: Attendance, math performance, English performance, incidence of out-of-school suspension

• Many relevant factors related to motivation, engagement, retention & parent-educator communication

• Stage-environment fit theory (Eccles & Midgley, 2006)• Intersection between child’s developmental stage and appropriateness

instructional & psychosocial contexts (Frey, 2008)

Study Framework

• Situated within existing literature by examining similar influences and factors

• Also, sensitive to policy context and community context (particularly high poverty) as possible influences (Apple 2006a, 2006b; author reference; Knapp and Associates 1995; Lareau 2003; Oakes & Lipton 1997; Oakes & Well 2003; Nandy 2002).

Method

• Settings and Participants• Large Midwestern, urban district; demographically diverse

• Four very different middle schools Esra, Thompkins, Abraham, Driscoll;

• 6th grade students ( n= 134; all surveyed)

• Sub-sample purposively selected (n = 48; 4 groups of 12) for in-depth study

Method

Questionnaires, attendance records,

Math/ELA performance and

discipline records (n=

Purposive selection of subsets of students from

three schools* for photo-ethnography

(n=48)

Individual & focus group interviews, observations & field notes; teachers,

admins, parents

Design, Data Collection, Analysis

Findings and Discussion

Driscoll Middle SchoolWealthy, north side

neighborhood; attracts transfers from failing schools

(ex: 6th grade from 40 different schools); met attendance reqs;

SRCR: Excellent

Thompkins Middle SchoolChoice school-no feeder; SES diverse, predominately Black; reputation as high-achieving

with many legacy students; met attendance;

SRCR: Continuous Improvement

Abraham Middle SchoolSouth side neighborhood;

predominately White, Appalachian, low SES; most families w/ long

residential history & strong identification; some from well-to-do,

gentrified area; recent immigrant popln w/ residential transience;

struggles with absenteeismSRCR: Academic Watch

Esra Middle SchoolWest side neighborhood;

predominately white, Appalachian, low SES; strong identity & community pride; families w/ long residential

history, but precarious housing & high mobility; higher concentration of

poverty than Abraham, one of worst attendance ratings in the city;

SRCR: Academic Emergency

Findings and Discussion

• 6th Grade Orientation Experience and Communication with Parents• Teacher/admin participation

• School day visits w/ interaction

• Teacher/class introduction; teacher enthusiasm

• Student practice with class transitions, lockers; scaffold student autonomy

• Discussions around student concerns/social anxieties

• Parent engagement; ongoing education on middle school experience and student needs

Influencing Factors

Findings and Discussion

• Academic and Socio-Emotional Levels and Time for Transition

• Working Beyond Stress Absorption Capacity

• Developmentally Appropriate Context-Specific Instructional and Psychosocial Environments

• Factors Affecting Absenteeism

Influencing Factors

Implications and Recommendations

• Nature of 6th grade orientation• Include features that support strong community-building, united

adult front; address student concerns/anxieties and scaffold autonomy

• Parent engagement and education• Recruit involvement during orientation, transition, and throughout

the year

Implications and Recommendations

• Developmentally appropriate, context-specific instructional & psychosocial environments• Take poverty-related challenges into account—context matters!!!

Findings and Recommendations

• District has adopted evidence–based policies to address transition & attendance: Feeder patterns; upgraded data management capacities

• Recommendations• Reduce moving targets (i.e., abrupt and rapid changes in standards/goals,

etc)

• Re-invest in success programming to reduce absenteeism

• Embrace bottom-up decision process for school-level buy-in and context specificity

• Implement context-specific, professional development; consider teacher affect

• Avoid punitive measures and implement consistently

An Analysis of District Level Policies & Practices

DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS!

Contact Us

Antoinette Errante

errante.1@osu.edu

Tracey A. Stuckey-Mickell

stuckey-mickell.1@osu.edu