In 2016, the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) published The MLER SIG Research Agenda, a white paper identifying critical issues and concerns facing the field of middle level education. Since its release, much has changed. The MLER SIG is pleased to announce that it has now published a revised version of The MLER SIG Research Agenda in the September issue of Research in Middle Level Education Online.
More than 40 researchers from across the globe collaborated to develop an agenda for future middle level research that illuminates strategies for moving middle level education forward in support of young adolescents within the current state of affairs. The research summarized in the manuscript represents eight focus areas:
- (a) middle grades curriculum;
- (b) middle grades pedagogies;
- (c) middle level certification and licensure;
- (d) middle level leadership;
- (e) middle level schools, classrooms, culture, and learning environments;
- (f) middle level teacher development;
- (g) social and emotional wellbeing; and
- (h) young adolescent identity and experiences.
Each group summarized the current literature in their area and developed a list of questions to guide future middle level education research. This manuscript is intended to start conversations, generate ideas for research projects, and contribute new knowledge to the field of middle level education.