Following an established REL Northeast & Islands research protocol, we conducted a search for recent research on middle school configurations in rural settings. We focused on identifying resources that specifically addressed research on grade span configurations, school models, school size, and community schools. The sources searched included ERIC and other federally funded databases and organizations, academic research databases, and general Internet search engines (For details, please see the methods section at the end of this memo.)

We have not evaluated the quality of references and the resources provided in this response and we offer them only for your reference. Because our search for references is based on the most commonly used resources of research, it is not comprehensive and other relevant references and resources may exist.

Research References

1. Dove, M. J., Pearson, L. C., & Hooper, H. (2010). Relationship between grade span configuration and academic achievement. Journal of Advanced Academics, 21(2), 272- 298.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ880581
   From the abstract: “The relationship between grade span configuration and academic achievement of 6th-grade students as measured by the Arkansas Benchmark Examination, which is the approved NCLB criterion-referenced annual assessment, was examined. The results of a one-between two-within analysis of variance for the 3-year state-wide study of 6th graders' combined population scores revealed no statistically significant difference for grade span configuration and the interaction of grade span configuration and year, but statistically significant differences were found over the 3 years for both mathematics and literacy percent scores.”
2. Hamm, J. V., Dadisman, K. A., Day, K. M., Agger, C. A., & Farmer, T. W. (2014). The Move to Middle School: Parents' Expectations and Early Adolescents' Adjustment in Rural Communities. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 4(1), 46.
   https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.833.2829&rep=rep1&type=pdf
   From the abstract: “Parents' expectations for the middle school transition were investigated in 10 focus groups with 37 parents in two rural Appalachian communities. Parents emphasized their concerns over the social aspects of the transition for their children, particularly relationship changes and exposure to problem behaviors through peers. Moreover, parents whose children attended certain feeder schools feared their children would be socially marginalized in middle school. Student adjustment data collected from 187 6th graders in the associated middle schools were analyzed for evidence of social marginalization or poor adjustment by feeder elementary school. With few exceptions, social integration did not differ by feeder school but students from a particular feeder school experienced greater adjustment difficulties overall, according to self- and teacher-ratings. The findings highlight the need for schools to help parents understand the social transition to middle school and to monitor student adjustment when there are discrepancies across feeder schools.”
3. Malone, M., Cornell, D. G., & Shukla, K. (2020). Grade configuration is associated with school- level standardized test pass rates for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 31(2), 289-305.
   https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09243453.2019.1654526?needAccess=true
   From the abstract: “Educators and researchers have long debated the best grade configuration grouping for middle grade students. This study examined school-level differences in reading and mathematics standardized test pass rates for students placed in middle schools versus alternative grade configurations. Latent growth modeling was conducted separately for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades across a 3-year sampling period. Sixth-grade pass rates were significantly higher in elementary schools (e.g., Kindergarten–7th grade) than in middle schools for reading (78.9% vs. 72.0%) and mathematics (82.5% vs. 76.3%). Seventh-grade pass rates in elementary schools were also significantly higher than in middle schools for reading (78.5% vs. 75.9%) and mathematics (83.1% vs. 69.2%). Eighth-grade pass rates were significantly higher in middle schools than in high schools (e.g., 8th–12th grade) for both subjects (74.7% vs. 70.0% for reading, 63.3% vs. 52.0% for mathematics). These findings suggest that students benefit from remaining in elementary school through at least 7th grade.”
4. Schwerdt, G., & West, M. R. (2013). The impact of alternative grade configurations on student outcomes through middle and high school. Journal of Public Economics, 97, 308-326.
   https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8139254/GradeConfiguration_JPubEc_FINA L.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
   From the abstract: “We use statewide administrative data from Florida to estimate the impact of attending public schools with different grade configurations on student achievement through grade 10. Based on an instrumental variable estimation strategy, we find that students moving from elementary to middle school suffer a sharp drop in student achievement in the transition year. These achievement drops persist through grade 10. We also find that middle school entry increases student absences and is associated with higher grade 10 dropout rates. Transitions to high school in grade nine cause a smaller one-time drop in achievement but do not alter students' performance trajectories.”
5. Thomas, D. D. (2005). Middle Level Education in Rural Communities. The Rural Educator, 27(1).
   https://journals.library.msstate.edu/index.php/ruraled/article/download/499/460
   From the abstract: “Middle level teachers and administrators working in small or rural schools often face unique obstacles in implementing recommended middle level practices. From sharing staff and schedules with other school sites, to inappropriate instructional techniques, to a general lack of understanding of the middle level philosophy, these obstacles can be a source of frustration for school leaders and hinder school improvement initiatives. A better understanding of these issues and the discussion of potential solutions will benefit teachers, administrators, and policy makers in improving middle level education in rural communities. By building on the positive characteristics found in rural and smaller schools, as well as identifying and addressing the obstacles encountered at smaller schools, middle level leaders can create and maintain distinctive and effective programs for their students.”

Additional Organizations to Consult

Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/
From the website: “The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans, through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Our aim is not just to change the conversation, but to change the country.”

Selected reference:
Williams, D. T. (2010). How community schools can reinvigorate rural education. Center for American Progress.
https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2010/09/pdf/ruralschools.pdf
From the introduction: “This paper combines data from the literature and other public sources, interviews, site visits, and the organizational experience of The Rural School and Community Trust in an examination of community schools from a rural perspective. It provides a context for rural community schools and discusses the need for clarification of the language used to describe the concept of community school. Three examples of successful rural community schools provide a framework for discussing the benefits, characteristics, and policy implications of rural community schools. The paper also discusses the challenges that rural areas confront in attempting to implement a community school strategy and offers recommendations for overcoming them.”

Methods

Keywords and Search Strings

The following keywords and search strings were used to search the reference databases and other sources:

Rural community schools

Rural middle schools model

Rural middle schools size

Rural middle schools configuration

Rural middle schools grade span

Rural middle schools opportunities

Rural K-8

Consolidated rural middle schools

Combined rural middle schools

Databases and Resources

We searched ERIC for relevant resources. ERIC is a free online library of over 1.6 million citations of education research sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences. Additionally, we searched Google Scholar.

Reference Search and Selection Criteria

When we were searching and reviewing resources, we considered the following criteria:

Date of the publication: References and resources published for the last 20 years, from 2005 to present, were included in the search and review.

Search Priorities of Reference Sources: Search priority is given to study reports, briefs, and other documents that are published and/or reviewed by IES and other federal or federally funded organizations, academic databases, including WWC, ERIC, and NCEE.

Methodology: The following methodological priorities/considerations were given in the review and selection of the references: (a) study types – randomized control trials, quasi experiments, surveys, descriptive data analyses, literature reviews, policy briefs, etc., generally in this order; (b) target population, samples (representativeness of the target population, sample size, volunteered or randomly selected, etc.), study duration, etc.; (c) limitations, generalizability of the findings and conclusions, etc.