Annotated Bibliography
Ted Sheehan
Synthesis:
Advisory plays an important role in middle school culture. How schools implement advisory is critical to it’s’ success. Many schools utilize variations of Advisory on a daily basis. There are guidelines, books of advice, books on training and plenty of personal reflections on Advisory, but there has not been a lot of research analyzing the effectiveness of Advisory.
These nine articles span the scope of Advisory; from inception, to proper implementation, to good practices to particular studies in various environments. One thing that stands out however is the lack of training that Educators receive in Advisory. For something that is so important to the Middle School agenda, you would assume proper training was an important component to the general success of Advisory. Some of these articles and reports reflect that sentiment. Personally, I have not seen many programs designed for Advisory training or support.
From personal experience, observations and discussions, I have seen little in the way of Advisory training. What I have seen though are willing and active educators and administrators pursuing relationships with students that go far beyond the walls of schools. Advisory and Advisors offer an ear, a voice, and a place where young adolescents can gather in an atmosphere of mutual standing. It is the hope that in these settings relationships can develop and young adolescents can discuss the trials and tribulations of adolescence amongst an empathetic Advisor. Advisory has a place in Middle School, it is important that we as Educators continually develop our advisories as we do our curriculum. Although there is not a tremendous amount of research supporting the effectiveness of Advisory, common sense says an adult advocate for a middle school adolescent is a good start in ensuring all students have someone looking out for them.
Burkhardt, R. M. (1999). Advisory: advocacy for every student. Middle School Journal, 30(3), 51-54. Retrieved from the National Middle School Association database.
This is a five page professional article published in the Middle School Journal. The author cites nine references. The theme of the article is the importance of advisory programs in middle schools and the need for adolescent advocacy at this particular time of development. Advocacy refers to the importance of young adolescents being seen, heard and accounted for by an adult or mentor within the school system. Advisory programs are important to the social, emotional, physical, moral and cognitive development of young adolescents.
Brown, K. M. & Anfara, Jr., V. A. (2001). Competing perspectives on advisory programs: Mingling or meddling in middle schools? Research in Middle Level Education Annual, Volume 24, 1-30. Retrieved from the National Middle School Association database.
This is a research report and study on the benefits and failings of advisory programs. The study mentions that not a lot of actual research on the effectiveness of advisory programs is explored. This study has findings they would like to present that show both the shortcomings and effectiveness of advisory programs. The study followed 36 students and teachers at six different schools. The study has seventy six reference points.
Anfara, V. A., Jr. (2006). Research summary: Advisory programs. Retrieved [10/17/10] http://www.nmsa.org/Research/ResearchSummaries/AdvisoryPrograms/tabid/812/Default.aspx
Advisory design, rationale and emphasis are proposed in the report. This is a very straight forward account of what the National Middle School Association envisions what good advisory looks like. It is a good reference point on Advisory and what the NMSA believes all advisory should look like. Twenty seven references are used. Four annotated references are used as well.
NMSA Research Committee (2003). Research and Resources in Support of This We Believe, 7-12. Retrieved from the National Middle School Association database.
This professional report was presented by the National Middle School Research Committee. Seventeen references were cited, as well as four annotated references. The report goes on to tell that more subjective information is needed from both educators and students in determining the effectiveness of advisories in middle school. Much information has been given on developing good programs, but little has been done on checking the impact the programs are having at various schools. More research needed, and varying dynamics from school to school have significant impact.
MacLaury, S., & Gratz, Z. (2002). Advisories led by trained facilitators: Their impact on middle school students. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 26(1). Retrieved [10/17/10], http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/RMLEOnline/tabid/101/Default.aspx
This research study looked at 44 students in advisory programs and 27 students not involved in advisory programs. The students and teachers came from large inner city middle schools. The teachers themselves participated in two years of formal training in advisory. The study looked at how well trained educators were able to initiate successful advisories amongst the two groups. Finding varied amongst the students themselves, opening up the possibility for further studies. Forty six references were cited.
Shulkind, S., & Foote, J. (2009). Creating a Culture of Connectedness through Middle School Advisory Programs. Middle School Journal, 41(1), 20-27. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
This is another interesting article looking for more poignant information regarding successful advisory programs in middle school. This article reports on the findings of looking at three successful advisory programs at three separate schools. The programs are evaluated using the term connectedness quite often. The article suggests connectedness being at the heart of advisory. Seven traits of successful advisories are proposed and discussed. Twelve references are cited.
Whitney, L., & Hoffman, R. (1998). Middle school advisories: A vehicle for developing students' gender self-confidence. Education, 119(2), 232. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
This article deals specifically with using advisory programs to help young adolescents explore gender issues. Advisory is defined, and then the article gets into specifics for both male and female students and the reason gender issues are important to discuss in advisory. Twenty five references are cited in this article.
Wilson, C. (1998, January). The real meaning of middle school advisory programs. Contemporary Education, p. 100. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
This narrative article depicts one woman’s views on Advisory. Ms. Wilson presents an interesting case study, her own advisee and how his mother perceived him as a student. There is further discussion on good advisory and how it should be implemented, but it the highlight of this article is the struggles the advisee went through in becoming a decent student. Advisory appears to have played a significant role in helping this young man become a good student. The article demonstrates the importance of not leaving any child behind. Advisory can be a stop gap for an unnecessary slide into nowhere.
McClure, L., Yonezawa, S., & Jones, M. (2010). Can school structures improve teacher-student relationships? The relationship between advisory programs, personalization and students' academic achievement. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 18(17), 1-17. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
This study surveyed almost 11,000 students over a three year period at fourteen different schools. The study looked again at advisory and its role within the schools. Whereas other articles have mentioned connectedness, advocacy, and intrapersonal aspects, this study focused on personalization. A lot of synonymous terms are used throughout the country when discussing advisory. This article focuses on personalization in advisory and at the school. The overall question this study looks at is how personalization at schools impacts test scores. The findings are quite interesting and a bit disturbing. Thirty five
