A volume in The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education series
(Sponsored by the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group
and the National Middle School Association ) Studies like the Third
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have compared the
performance of U.S. middle grade students (i.e., eighth graders) to
those in other countries. In relation to middle grade schools, 20
countries outperformed the United States in mathematics and nine
countries scored above the U.S. in science. The intent of this volume of
The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education, An International
Look at Educating Young Adolescents, is to broaden our understanding of
middle grade schooling by critically examining the education of young
adolescents (ages 10-15, typically grades 6-8) through an international
lens. In addition to looking at how schooling and students are organized
for teaching and learning, this handbook will focus on the successes and
failures that are evident in a wide variety of nations, present the
indictments and praises that have been offered by supporters and critics
alike, and review the research that has been generated about educating
young adolescents in an effort to cross national boundaries. Ultimately,
this volume of the handbook series will explore what international
perspectives teach us about the effective education of young adolescents
