Notwithstanding these limitations, Cana- dian children are expressing a disturbing lack of engagement with their learning, and this relationship becomes stronger as they move through the grades. In order to address this issue, teachers and administrators need to pay attention to the classroom factors that promote engagement and support achievement. The three-block model has demonstrated that it has the potential to engage students during their transition through adolescence by utilizing a pedagogy that meets their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The three-block model has demonstrated that is has the capacity to halt negative trends in students’ academic and social engagement during the challenging transition through middle school.