| Middle school educators are faced with the challenge of meeting both social-emotional and academic needs of their students. With the pressing demands of meeting state standards and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), some teachers find themselves focusing more on the academic needs of their students, whereas other teachers are focused on the social-emotional needs of their students. The purpose of this study was to examine how a select middle school team addresses both academic rigor and social competence.;A qualitative case study was utilized to offer rich description of how to balance academic rigor and social competence through teaming efforts and explore the challenges a select team of middle school teachers encounters when achieving a balance. The case consisted of a select team of eighth grade teachers, Team A (pseudonym), at Roosevelt Middle School (pseudonym) in District 268 (pseudonym) located in a Midwest suburb. Team A consisted of five academic teachers and one special education teacher, and 113 students (44 females, 69 males), including 29 who receive special education services. Roosevelt Middle School, a nationally recognized middle school, is one of five middle schools in District 268, a unit school district serving students kindergarten through twelfth grade.;Observations, document collection, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group were employed in an effort to examine practices of effective interdisciplinary teaming as the teachers integrate academic rigor and social competence to meet the needs of their young adolescent students. In order to establish trustworthiness, the researcher demonstrated credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Reoccurring themes pertaining to the research questions that emerged from the data collection are outlined and detailed through narratives.;This study is significant because it supports Dewey's notion of false dualism and current research regarding the effectiveness of teaming at the middle school level. The findings suggest Team A is able to integrate academic rigor and social competence by utilizing a variety of teaching strategies, implementing collaborative learning, promoting self-directed learners, applying classroom concepts to life, and fostering communication and relationships. The combined efforts of the team facilitate the balance of academic rigor and social competence. The Team A teachers are guided by strong leadership, offer each other support, share similar philosophies, receive support from parents, and integrate special events. In addition, the findings propose that Team A encounters challenges such as the lack of time and the institutional structure when balancing academic rigor and social competence.;These findings have implications for middle school principals, teams, teachers, and teacher preparation programs. Most importantly, middle schools should utilize teaming efforts. Principals should take into account teachers' teaching philosophies when forming teams and assign teams a strong leader. In addition, principals should consider the institutional structure (schedule, classroom assignments, team space) and its impact on teachers and students. Teams should share their philosophies, invite parents to get involved, promote self-directed learning, and utilize flex scheduling. Furthermore, middle school teachers should promote collaborative learning, apply academic concepts to the lives of their students, foster relationships with their students, support their teammates, and utilize special events. Finally, teacher preparation programs should prepare preservice teachers in a manner that will encourage them to take an active role on a team and integrate academic rigor and social competence. |
