To describe a cross-curriculum writing model designed for a middle school, this paper provides a condensed script of what the designer of the program said and did during its first year to steer the program in a productive direction. The paper is written in the form of exerpts from relevant conversations. The first conversation relates how the idea…

This document contains the tables that are referred to but not included in the research monograph, "Improvement of Secondary Education Through Research: Five Longitudinal Case Studies." The monograph reports on two middle schools, one junior high school, and two senior high schools that were involved in the study project, which included…

This bulletin is devoted to clarifying central issues in the self-esteem debate, with a view to pointing out implications for practice. The relevance of self-esteem to academic achievement is particularly emphasized. The first chapter reviews different meanings that self-esteem has acquired in the context of different theories. Chapter 2…

A principal shares principles and practices involved in achieving excellence in a middle school. (DCS)

Effective curriculum supervision is essential to a good middle school and curriculum program, and principals can do this job through preparation, curriculum review and development, taking advantage of supervisory opportunities, and curriculum evaluation. (DCS)

The middle school reading/literature instructor needs to determine where each student is in reading achievement and then assist each to achieve as optimally as possible. What might the teacher do to assist students to become good middle school readers? A major problem of middle schoolers is to be able to recognize a certain percent of words…

Secondary school educators too often find that their students do not have the necessary literacy skills to use reading and writing effectively to learn subject matter. For middle and high school educators searching for ways to promote literacy, this book bridges the divide between what the research says works in literacy and what is happening in…

The Jefferson County School District (Denver, Colorado) has published this document as a model standard for the planning and designing of new middle schools and remodeling and modernizing existing schools. It describes the facility requirements to accommodate the instructional program, activities, and support functions to assist architects, school…

Describes the learning specialist's role in implementing corrective or remedial programs. Notes that resistance to programs often develops when cooperating classroom teachers are asked to change their teaching styles or strategies. Presents eight guidelines for establishing trust and reducing or eliminating resistance. (MM)

Through lively discussions of specially selected texts, students of diverse abilities often discover that they can learn a lot from one another. The Touchstones Project in a Baltimore (Maryland) middle school features group discussion of classical texts. (Author/TE)

Among the patterns of behavior that indicated chronic deterioration of job performance are absenteeism, confusion and difficulty in concentration, poor collegial relations, and rigidity. Outlines steps that a principal can take to have a constructive confrontation with a troubled employee for that person to be motivated and take the initiative for…

Noting that young adolescents--around 10 to 15 years of age--undergo significant emotional, social, intellectual, and physical changes, this book serves as a reference for parents, educators, and policymakers concerned with education that meets the unique needs of the student population. The five sections of the book cover the historical and…

This book presents research findings about school-level and district level practices and successful strategies employed in mathematics education by highly effective schools that serve high-poverty communities. It includes both the theory and practice of creating highly effective schools in these communities. In 2002 nine schools were selected in…

Practical guidelines for new middle/junior high and secondary school principals are offered in this paper. Specific suggestions are made for becoming familiar with the school, staff and students; organizing for instruction, including hiring and master scheduling; handling administrative business functions, which include clarifying staff roles,…

This document comprises an evaluation of the first-year implementation of the New York City Board of Education's three-year Dropout Prevention Program (DPP), implemented in 10 high schools and 29 middle schools; and the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) program, implemented in 3 high schools. Two intervention models were implemented…