Promoting Positive Learning Experiences in Middle School Education

Declining academic performance, along with a growing apathy of students toward the value of education, demonstrates that students in the United States public education system do not recognize the value of a positive experience in middle schools. A plethora of research and writing has been done on elementary schools and secondary schools, but middle school education, as a whole, has been left behind. For this reason, there is the need for current research on all aspects and topics that may contribute to middle school student success. Promoting Positive Learning Experiences in Middle School Education focuses on the ideal conditions for maximizing student success and engagement in middle school education. The chapters take a deeper look into the modern tools, technologies, methods, and theories driving current research on middle school students, their teachers, their classroom environment, and their learning. Highlighting topics such as curriculum reform, instructional strategies and practices, effective teaching, and technology in the modern classroom, this book is ideally intended for middle school teachers, middle school administrators, and school district administrators, along with practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in middle school education and student success.

About the Author :
Cherie Barnett Gaines began her career in 2001 as a middle school teacher of science, reading, and English. After earning her doctoral degree from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in Education with a concentration in Educational Administration and Supervision, she began work in higher education at Lincoln Memorial University, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States (LMU), where she worked in Initial Teacher Licensure programs. While at LMU, Dr. Gaines also served as Director of Clinical Experiences for the School of Education, focusing on accreditation. Currently, Dr. Gaines is an Associate Professor of Education in the doctoral program for Education at LMU. Cherie’s research interests include rural schools, teacher leadership, school climate, middle school education, and leadership preparation. As a member of the American Educational Research Association’s Leadership for School Improvement Special Interest Group, she focuses her research on school improvement in those research areas. Dr. Gaines has presented research at conference meetings such as American Educational Research Association; Mid-South Educational Research Association; British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society; and Appalachian College Association, and her work can be found in journals such as NASSP Bulletin and in published books. Kristy Hutson received her Ed.D. in Instructional Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University in 2019. Dr. Hutson began her teaching career in 2012 as a Grade 7 science teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee and taught a variety of subjects in middle school until 2018, at which time, she began teaching at the high school level. As of the publication of this book, Dr. Hutson serves as an instructional coach and teaches STEM at Oak Ridge High School in Tennessee. She also serves as a standing guest lecturer at Lincoln Memorial University’s Doctor of Education program and also is a member of multiple dissertation committees. Dr. Hutson has published a dissertation in 2019, and her research was presented at Lincoln Memorial University’s Annual Research Day in 2019. Her research interests include social justice in K-12 education, disparities in advanced courses in education, and middle school education as it relates preparing students for high school and post-secondary education.