The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "College Readiness and Success." Contents include: (1) Texas School Counselors…

Graphing and calculating percentages are integral skills in a STEM curriculum. Teaching students how to create graphs allows them to identify numerical trends and to express results in a clear and concise manner. In this activity, students will remain engaged in the lesson by moving around the room and then work together to generate their own…

At a high school level, sometimes students can perceive math as simply another step towards graduation and learn just what is needed to get by. If realistic examples were used more often in classroom settings, then teachable moments would happen--and that is where inspiration can be fostered. This article provides thoughts and ideas behind the…

Middle school, which is generally thought of as sixth to eighth grades, is not easy for anybody. It is a rough time to be a student, and a tough age to teach. Teachers are expected to ease the transition of students from elementary to middle school. However, if you are an elementary teacher, you may not know what kids will be facing in middle…

This brief is intended to provide State Education Agency (SEA) and Local Education Agency (LEA) educators with a brief overview of key components of GraduateFIRST, a Georgia program targeting issues impacting school completion for students with disabilities. Georgia's GraduateFIRST program has redefined the state's approach to raising graduation…

Lab safety is a critical component of any science class, but it is certainly not the most popular. This is especially true for younger students who are new to lab-based science classes. Educators must teach them about the dangers of unsafe lab behavior without scaring them away from the lab entirely or boring them to the point that they don't…

This guide to the Georgia Middle Grades Writing Assessment (MGWA) serves the purpose of improving writing and writing instruction. It includes a description of test administration conditions, a sample test booklet, and a structured overview of the writing assessment. Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading are explained in the…

The discourse on teacher quality has centered on issues of teacher knowledge and teacher skill, yet a third element that is central to all professional standards is teacher dispositions. Although there is no consensus about a definition of teacher dispositions, there are several models in use regarding how dispositions are being addressed. Most…

This guide has been designed to assist the middle grades (5-8) physical educator in planning and providing Georgia students with meaningful activities to prepare them for physically active, healthy lives. Designed to provide middle grades physical education teachers with a framework for local curriculum development, this guide is available for the…

Analyzes the election and congressional career of Georgian, Andrew Young. Briefly discusses the demographic, political, and civil rights issues that combined to secure Young his first congressional seat. Includes a series of suggested teaching activities and discussion questions. (MJP)

Students can learn a number of words in any given day from television, parents, through reading, and through classroom activities. The activity in this lesson plan focuses on students expanding their written vocabulary to make writing passages more vivid and pleasurable to read. The lesson provides an opportunity for individual and group work, all…

Materials are provided for a consumer education activity designed to help teenagers make knowledgeable, rational decisions when purchasing goods and services. A student manual describes how the activity--a consumer judging contest--works. Information is provided on how consumers make decisions. Topics include: needs versus wants; sources of…

Designed for middle school through high school students, this unit contains eight lesson plans that focus on Georgia state law. The state lessons correspond to lessons in the volume, "Antidote: Civic Responsibility. Drug Avoidance Lessons for Middle School & High School Students." Developed to be presented by educators, law student,…

This guide for middle school health education teachers in Georgia first sets forth the state policies on the school's responsibility for student health, the general objectives of health education, and the purposes of school health services programs. Instructional units are provided for grades 5 through 8. Topics covered in the units include: (1)…

An important component of sound middle school education is a commitment to providing coordinated advising and counseling services in the school setting. This handbook describes how middle school professionals can develop small group advisory support for each student. Known variously as home-base, advisor-advisee, or teacher advisory (TA) programs,…