MLER SIG Research Agenda

In 2015, the MLER SIG revisited the need for a revised research agenda, one that could reflect the issues and concerns of the ever-changing world of middle grades education. The primary purpose of the MLER SIG Research Agenda was to develop a set of questions that provide direction to the field of middle grades education research. The research questions are intended to initiate and guide conversations, generate research projects, and contribute new knowledge to the field. The research agenda also provides guidance to new faculty members in higher education seeking to establish research agendas and graduate students seeking topics of study for dissertation studies and theses. During the inaugural project meeting in April 2015, the group decided that the MLER SIG Research Agenda would be designed to address the most critical issues and concerns facing the field over the course of the next five years. At the end of the five-year period, the research agenda would be re-evaluated to determine what new topics, issues, and research questions were of concern to the field. The SIG Research Agenda is endorsed by the Association for Middle Level Education and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Education.

• MLER SIG Research Agenda (complete pdf document)

• Introduction

  • Developmental Aspects of Young Adolescents

  • Cultural Responsiveness

  • Special Populations

  • Educator Development

  • Curriculum Integration

  • Social and Emotional Learning

  • Digital Technologies

  • Schools and Structures

  • References

  • List of Contributors and Contact Information

  • Endorsements