In this learning series, we explore how educators and other youth-serving professionals can translate the science of young adolescent development to practice.

Early adolescence (ages 10-15) is a period of tremendous growth, development, and opportunity. How can educators and other youth-serving professionals align their practices with what science tells us about how young people in the middle grades learn and grow? In this series of learning packages, we explore key aspects of young adolescent learning and development through such topics as social-emotional learning, teaching and learning, school climate and culture, and out of school time. Featuring researchers and practitioners from across the country, the packages highlight the science and offer ideas for how to put the science into practice.

Below are packages of information in three areas:

  1. Social Emotional Learning in Early Adolescence
  2. Middle Schoolers and Belonging
  3. School Climate and Culture in the Middle Grades

Each learning package includes a video (or series of videos), resource guide, and facilitation guide. Whether you are a classroom teacher, counselor, administrator, youth development professional, parent of a middle schooler, or any other person interacting with middle school-aged youth, we hope you will find the learning packages to be helpful in building your understanding of the developmental needs of young adolescents and connecting that understanding to helping young people to grow and thrive during their middle school years.

 

1. Social Emotional Learning in Early Adolescence

The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Early Adolescence learning package describes three ways educators and youth-serving professionals can promote young adolescent SEL:

1. Prioritize Adolescent Developmental Needs: Early adolescence is a unique developmental period and it is important that students’ interactions and environments are well-designed to meet their needs.
2. Cultivate Youth and Adult Skills: Youth and adults can work to develop and practice skills that promote well-being and strengthen relationships.
3. Build A Learning Community: Strong social and emotional skills do not occur in a vacuum. Educators can build trusting relationships and supportive environments that encourage students to use these skills to be caring, kind, and respectful to others.

The package is led by: 
Dr. Shereen El Mallah, University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development
Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman, University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development
Dr. Winsome Waite, The Opportunity Institute

Introductory Guide

The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Early Adolescence learning package describes three ways educators and youth-serving professionals can promote young adolescent SEL. We begin by describing the role that each of these plays in adolescent SEL (and the research findings that underscore their importance).

Prioritize Adolescent Developmental Needs

Early adolescence is a unique developmental period and it is important that students’ interactions and environments are well-designed to meet their needs.

Cultivate Youth and Adult Skills

Youth and adults can work to develop and practice skills that promote well-being and strengthen relationships.

Build A Learning Community

Strong social and emotional skills do not occur in a vacuum. Educators can build trusting relationships and supportive environments that encourage students to use these skills to be caring, kind, and respectful to others.

Knowledge Check

In this video, we play a simple game that includes questions to continue our learning.

SEL Facilitation Guide & Resource Guide

This video includes a facilitation guide for the video series and a resource guide.

Social Emotional Learning in Early Adolescence Guides

Facilitation Guide

The Facilitation Guide summarizes the content presented in the video series and provides reflection questions for consideration.

Resource Guide

The Resource Guide includes supporting resources for each of the videos, including a brief description.

2. Middle Schoolers and Belonging

The Middle Schoolers and Belonging learning package describes how we can meet the needs of young adolescents with authentic and connected learning.

We hope you’ll learn more about why school belonging is important. And we hope you’ll come away with some practical ideas for connecting middle schoolers meaningfully to you, to each other, and to the world around them, in both in-person and remote settings.

The package is led by: 

Dr. Penny Bishop, Professor of Middle Level Education, University of Vermont
Dr. Ingrid Grant, Chief of School Leadership, Henrico County Public Schools

The Importance of School Belonging in the Middle Grades

In this video, we explore the role of school belonging in the middle grades.

Fostering Belonging in the Middle Grades

This second video shares strategies designed to foster and support this sense of belonging in students’ learning lives.

Middle Schoolers and Belonging Resources

Facilitation Guide

The Facilitation Guide summarizes the content presented in the video series and provides reflection questions for consideration.

Resource Guide

The Resource Guide includes supporting resources, including a brief description.

3. School Climate and Culture in the Middle Grades

The School Climate and Culture in the Middle Grades learning package starts by helping us to understand the definition and dimensions of school culture in the middle grades, including how school climate is associated with student achievement and experiences. 

The package is led by Dr. Christy Byrd, Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University College of Education.

School Climate and Culture in the Middle Grades

In the video, we explore key dimensions of school climate and culture in the middle grades, including: Beliefs, values, and norms Relationships and social interactions Safety and environmental characteristics

School Climate and Culture in Middle Grades Resources

Facilitation Guide

The facilitation guide starts by helping us to understand the definition and dimensions of school culture in the middle grades.

Resource Guide

The Middle Schoolers and Belonging Resource Guide provides a set of resources to accompany the videos

Youth-Nex and AMLE logos side by side

The Remaking Middle School initiative is an emerging partnership working to build and steward a new collective effort for young adolescent learning and development. Founding partners include the University of Virginia Youth-Nex Center to Promote Effective Youth Development, the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), the Altria Group, and the New York Life Foundation. We are seeking to ignite conversation, action, and a movement to re-envision and remake the middle school experience in a way that recognizes the strengths of young adolescents and ensures all students thrive and grow from their experiences in the middle grades.