“…Between the ages of 10 and 14, students typically must adjust to puberty, as well as to changes in social relationships with peers, family, and authority figures (Eccles et al, 1993;Elias, Gara, & Ubriaco, 1985;NMSA, 1995;Rudolph, Lambert, Clark, & Kurlakowsky, 2001). Research suggests that difficulties in coping with multiple transitions may underlie some of the negative effects that many students experience during the transition from elementary to middle school (Eccles et al, 1993). These effects include a decline in motivation and a loss of self-esteem, particularly when the transition occurs at younger ages (Rudolph et al, 2001;Simmons & Blythe, 1987); decline in academic achievement (Alspaugh, 2001;Alspaugh & Harting, 1995;Hanushek, Kain, & Rivkin, 2004); strains on interpersonal functioning (Barber & Olsen, 2004); and, in the long term, increased risk of dropping out of school (Alspaugh, 1998;Rumberger, 1995).…”