Over the last three decades the middle school has replaced junior high schools. There are 55% more middle schools that in the beginning of the decade of the seventies and the number is growing. This transition from elementary to middle school is inclusive of outcomes that are demonstrated by "behavioral problems" (Eccles et al., 1989) and "increases in psychological distress"(Chung et al., 1998; Crocket et al., 1989; Eccles et al., 1993). Speculation for reasons linked to this dramatic transitional period for the student are listed as follows:

Mismatch between developmental needs and school ecology.

Dual timing of personal and ecological transitions.

Since puberty includes a variety of physical, emotional and cognitive changes the intensity of development may alone serve to magnify the challenge in adjusting to the ecological change in middle school. It is common knowledge that Latino as well as African-American males tend to be more aggressive due to a much higher level of testosterone, perhaps this study has discovered a key to coping with behavioral problems in the middle school, specifically in relation to Latino behavioral transfer students. This writer suggests that separation of male and female students in the middle school years with slow integration between the two sexes over the course of middle school might be appropriate in dealing with many of the issues faced by middle school teachers and administration. In reference to the "at-risk" Latino student, data has established results of "pronounced achievement losses and distress" in the process of the transition to middle school.

Conclusion:

Demographic factors are certain a part of the problem in transition but as this paper has shown, through viable references, there are other critical factors that impact the situation and "indeed all middle school transition students are having problems" and not just the Latino students. Perhaps the problem is within the social environment of the middle school itself either in context or structure in today's global society.

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2004/10/03 Acculturation & Assimilation Focus: The Latino