Peer Pressure In Middle Schools

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Recommended: No child left behind act in america

Enacted In 2002, the No Child Left Behind legislation changed the expectations for students in grades 3-8. This legislation helped drive the change in how schools were configured. Districts started changing elementary schools from K-8 models to K-5 models and placing sixth-grade students in middle schools. The change was either driven by wanting to increase standardized test scores or for financial benefit. Originally, middle schools, designed to bridge gaps between elementary schools and high schools. In addition, they were meant to focus on the needs of the students. Unfortunately, critics describe middle schools as swamps, where the urban youth sink into educational failure (Tamer, M., 2012). They never took the needs of the student into …show more content…

A sixth-grade student starts to question who is more important in their lives their peers or parents. Making friends is the most important goal and worry for most students. The students are confused about who they should listen to. They crave acceptance by their peers and some give into peer pressure. Caving into peer pressure can lead to uncharacteristic behaviors and various disciplinary issues like; smoking, drug use, skipping classes, and declining grades to name a few. When asked, students felt acceptance by their peers was more important than the acceptance of their …show more content…

(2004). Retrieved December 03, 2017, from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB8025/index1.html
Schumacher, D. (2003, January 23). The Transition To Middle School. Retrieved December 03, 2017, from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/the-transition-to-middle-school/
Tamer, M. (2012, September 5). Do Middle Schools Make Sense? Retrieved November 07, 2017, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/12/09/do-middle-schools-make-sense
Waters, R. (2016). The Impact of School Configuration on Sixth Grade Student Achievement (Doctoral dissertation, Baker University) [Abstract]. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from https://www.bakeru.edu/images/pdf/SOE/EdD_Theses/Waters_Rachelle.pdf.
West, M. R., & Schwerdt, G. (2012, March 22). The Middle School Plunge: Achievement Tumbles When Young Students Change Schools. Education Next, 12(2). Retrieved November 07, 2017, from http://educationnext.org/the-middle-school-plunge/
Williford, A., Boulton, A., Forrest-Bank, S., Bender, K., Dieterich, W., & Jenson, J. (2016). The Effect of Bullying and Victimization on Cognitive Empathy Development During the Transition to Middle School. Child & Youth Care Forum, 45(4), 525-541.

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