Developments of Professional Learning Communities and Challenges for Principals in Chinese Urban Middle Schools

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have seen a rapid spread all around the world over the past 30 years. Since then it has been proved that they can improve teaching quality and thereby the achievement of students, and so PLCs have attracted increasing attention especially from education systems. In China, PLCs have been developed vigorously within schools since the implementation of the ‘New Curriculum Reform’ in 2000. However, the west has paid scant attention to and were not familiar with them since most research in this field in China was published in Chinese.Furthermore, PLCs are influenced by contextual and cultural factors, and therefore PLCs in Chinese education systems are different from those in Anglo-American settings due to long-standing cultural differences, which require consideration. Therefore, this research will investigate the PLCs in China that may be of interest. Many recent studies have shown that, although PLCs have made significant progress in Chinese urban middle schools through the enthusiastic efforts of educators and scholars, there are still several barriers. The primary purpose of this research is to review the development of PLCs and additionally to analyse the challenges faced by the principals.

Remixing Resilience: A Critical Examination of Urban Middle School Learning Environments among Resilient African American Learners

This study examines a sample of African American students attending urban middle schools in a Southern city, and considers their perceptions of learning environments within mathematics classrooms. This study concluded that variables like Academic Self-Concept, Mathematics Anxiety, Satisfaction, Involvement, and Academic Aspiration varied significantly among higher and lower performing students. These variables are informed by the classic resilience literature on learning environment that tends to be less culturally affirming. In an effort to move resilience theory away from racial ideologies, we reconceptualize resilience as a cultural trait common among African American learners that should not be conceptualized dichotomously nor hierarchically

“We always tell them, but they don’t do anything about it!” Middle School Black girls Experiences with Sexual Harassment at an Urban Middle School

Black women and girls are frequently left out of narratives on sexual harassment/sexual violence due to pervasive racism and sexism. Schools contribute to this silence by continuing to overlook the exceptional needs and experiences of Black girls. Therefore, this qualitative study used an intersectional lens to examine Black girls’ experiences with sexual harassment in an urban middle school. Results indicated participants experienced both physical and verbal sexual harassment and felt their concerns were largely ignored or/or minimized by teachers school administrators. Recommendations for creating safe spaces for Black girls in urban middle schools are provided.

The Discipline Gatekeeper: Assistant Principals’ Experiences With Managing School Discipline in Urban Middle Schools

School discipline disparities for African American students in urban schools continue to be a topic of contention. While research has rightfully called into question the practices and preparation of teachers and principals, the role that assistant principals serve as disciplinary gatekeepers has gone relatively unnoticed in the literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of five assistant principals at two urban middle schools to ascertain how they addressed issues of race amid applying school discipline interventions for African American students. The findings are analyzed and discussed through a critical race theoretical framework.

Development of School Food Education: Teachers’ Teaching Interventions in Urban Middle Schools of Northern Taiwan

This research explores current teaching interventions in the development of school food education in urban schools of northern Taiwan, focusing on the relationship between teachers’ teaching attitudes, teaching knowledge, and teaching commitments. As the urban schools of northern Taiwan (Taipei, New Taipei City, and Taoyuan City) are all classified as metropolitan areas, schools in these areas place a greater emphasis on students’ dietary habits. This study therefore selected urban middle schools of these three connected municipalities as the research area. It adopted stratified random methods for sampling and designed questionnaires to collect data. A total of 748 urban middle school teachers were selected as research participants. A total of 652 valid questionnaires were recovered, which generated an effective recovery rate of 87.17% among 59 urban middle schools. The results for teaching attitudes, environmental awareness, and food awareness are important. For teaching knowledge, teachers’ professional knowledge, class management knowledge, and academic research knowledge are significant. They will facilitate the development of school food education. Despite the limitations, the study can provide teachers with multiple technologies to fulfill food education through teaching interventions.

Overcoming Stereotypes to “Master Our Dreams”: The Salience of Ethnic Climate and Racial Diversity Among Students of Color in Middle School

Ethnic-racial climate is a salient dimension of school context, especially amid the current sociopolitical climate. This study examined perceptions of school ethnic-racial climate among adolescent students of color, and the significance they place on being part of a diverse student population, in two urban middle schools, using interviews and focus groups. Qualitative analyses revealed that students’ perceptions were contradictory. Students characterized their school interactions in meritocratic terms, where opportunities were grounded in equality and individual effort. However, their reports of racialized treatment were frequent, whereby ethnically segregated peer groups and the presence of stereotypes were prominent. Despite this, students articulated the benefits of school diversity, most notably, because it supported them in “mastering their dreams.” Findings suggest that early adolescents are challenged with navigating the racialized context of the school environment. As such, schools must interrogate the promotion of colorblindness, in favor of practices that are more culturally affirming.