Family engagement in middle school matters
Many parents who have taken an active role in their children’s education in elementary school seem to “drop out” when their children move into the middle grades. Yet parent engagement is just as important for students to succeed at this level. Middle school students with involved parents:
- Earn higher grades and score higher on tests.
- Enroll in higher-level classes
- Pass their classes and move on to the next grade level.
- Display better social skills.
- Graduate and go on to college.
Student ambassadors can ease middle school transition
A remote student ambassador program can help rising middle school students form a realistic expectation of what middle school will be like. The program connects current middle school students to elementary school students to answer questions. Here’s how to make this program work for your school:
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Choose ambassadors carefully. Select students who are mature and who have good judgment—and who are comfortable speaking to others.
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Train ambassadors. Go over questions that elementary students typically ask and give them practice answering questions on topics such as bullying, homework, time management, etc.
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Schedule remote calls with groups of students. Include a teacher or counselor on each call. There may be a few questions that students can’t answer. In that case, the teacher or counselor can step in.
Did you know?
A Microsoft survey of 500 K-12 schools across the United States found that 61 percent expect to start the 2020-21 school year in a hybrid environment, mixing both remote and in-classroom learning.
