@article{99727482296e40c9bbb804c555b84731,
title = "Middle School Practices Improve Student Achievement in High Poverty Schools",
author = "Mertens, {Steven B.} and Nancy Flowers",
note = "Funding Information: The data for this study were collected using the School Improvement Self-Study, a data collection system developed and conducted by the Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD) at the University of Illinois. The Self-Study consists of a set of surveys for teachers, administrators, students, and parents. The Self-Study measures progress in the various dimensions of school reform including curriculum, school climate, instruction, family involvement, student assessment, school-community partnerships, professional development, internal and external communications, school organization, and program evaluation. Middle grades schools in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi participated in the SelfStudy as part of their involvement in the Mid South Middle Start Initiative, directed by the Foundation for the Mid South (FMS). Middle Start is a middle grades school reform initiative developed and imple- mented in Michigan over the past decade through funding by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. FMS implemented Mid South Middle Start, also funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in 1997 in the Mid South region. Mid South Middle Start seeks to improve student achievement and related student outcomes in middle grades schools, particularly targeting schools that have significant numbers of disadvantaged students. Teachers, students, and administrators in 121 schools serving middle grades students in the Mid South region completed the Self-Study during both the 1998-99 and the 2000-01 school years. In the latter academic year more than 3,500 teachers participated in the Self-Study teacher survey. This regional sample of middle grades schools is primarily located in rural communities with populations of fewer than 10,000 (57%), have a student population in which at least 40% receive a free or reduced-priced lunch (83%), and serve ethnically diverse communities.",
year = "2003",
month = sep,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1080/00940771.2003.11494524",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "35",
pages = "33--43",
journal = "Middle School Journal",
issn = "0094-0771",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1",
}