Administrators should hire a knowledgeable, enthusiastic, motivated teacher who also has the ability to listen, the willingness to build relationships, and the ability to understand the middle level students' state of mind. (MLF)

Based on the belief that learning to read is an ongoing process that continues into the upper grades, this guidebook is intended as a "starter kit" to help teachers, literacy specialists, and administrators design strong literacy programs that span the secondary grades. The guidebook maintains that as learners encounter unfamiliar and complex…

Discusses the necessity for schools to be responsive to the developmental needs of young adolescents in order to develop an effective learning environment. Analyzes the application of the Middle Grades Assessment Program to this effort, as exemplified in the case of the Francisco Middle School in San Francisco, California. (PGD)

Designed as a guide to conducting informal evaluations of middle school programs, the nine sections of this booklet review current thinking on issues of evaluation and offer sample questions to be considered by school evaluation teams. Following introductory materials, the first section reviews the benefits to conducting evaluations of…

The five chapters in this manual outline a Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) education program for grades 6-12. The first chapter asks why HIV education should be taught in the primary grades, discusses who should teach HIV/AIDS education, and presents facts about adolescents and AIDS. Chapter 2 furnishes:…

In a survey of 172 experienced intermediate/junior high teachers in southern Ontario, all agreed that teachers at this level need courses based on the characteristics and needs of early adolescents. The majority indicated that their preservice training lacked such courses and had not prepared them for intermediate/junior high teaching. (JHZ)

This report examines the condition of America's young adolescents and how well middle grade schools, health institutions, and community organizations serve them. In its plan for action, the Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development makes recommendations for new structures for middle grade…

Twenty-two principles of middle grade education are addressed in this report, which is intended for those who have the authority to give meaning and substance to the reform of middle grade education in California's public schools. Each principle is developed through a discussion that concludes with specific recommendations that have implications…

Noting that many middle schools do not pay sufficient attention to the emotional, physical, and social development of their students, this booklet presents characteristics of successful middle school programs, as recognized by scholars in the middle school movement. Each characteristic is accompanied by an explanation of the "what and…