A volume in The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education series(Sponsored by the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Groupand the National Middle School Association )Studies like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) havecompared the performance of U.S. middle grade students (i.e., eighth graders) tothose in other countries. In relation to middle grade schools, 20 countriesoutperformed the United States in mathematics and nine countries scored abovethe U.S. in science. The intent of this volume of The Handbook of Research inMiddle Level Education, An International Look at Educating YoungAdolescents, is to broaden our understanding of middle grade schooling by critically examining the education ofyoung adolescents (ages 10-15, typically grades 6-8) through an international lens. In addition to looking at howschooling and students are organized for teaching and learning, this handbook will focus on the successes andfailures that are evident in a wide variety of nations, present the indictments and praises that have been offered bysupporters and critics alike, and review the research that has been generated about educating young adolescentsin an effort to cross national boundaries. Ultimately, this volume of the handbook series will explore whatinternational perspectives teach us about the effective education of young adolescents