The role of protective factors in supporting the academic achievement of poor African American students during the middle school transition

In this study of 62 African American families living in poverty, we examine d the main and interactive effects of psychological, family, and school fac tors on students' grade point average across the middle school transition. Both parent interviews and student surveys were collected, resulting in thr ee major findings. First, students experienced a significant decline in gra de point average across the transition from elementary to middle school. Se cond, students who felt more academically efficacious had higher grade pain t averages across the transition than did their peers. Third, significant i nteractions were found between family and school factors. These results sug gest that rather than focusing exclusively on either parental involvement o r the school environment, the combination of both family and school factors may be most effective in supporting the academic achievement of poor Afric an American students during the transition to middle level schools.