"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Subcommittee Passes Education Funding Bill: Overall Education Spending Essentially Flat, Striving Readers…

In many ways, science classrooms and school library media centers are parallel universes struggling with their own reform issues and with documenting their own positive impacts. As the trend toward data-driven decisions grows in the school setting, it is increasingly important for every component of the learning environment to have demonstrable…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) President Bush Releases Fiscal Year 2007 Budget: Education Funding Cut by $2.1 Billion; $100 Million Request for…

The narrative portion of this report described the middle school career exploration curriculum now in effect for grades 6, 7, and 8 at Scarlett Junior High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The major goal of the project was to establish, in a student oriented environment, a balanced learning program to increase student affective and cognitive growth.…

Sometimes bad news can be exactly what organizations or individuals need to point them in a healthier direction. That was the case at Thompson Middle School (Southfield, Michigan) in 2002, when the staff learned that the state had temporarily identified the school as needing "corrective action" after students failed to make Adequate…

ASETS (Achieving Sex Equity Through Students) is a peer leadership program designed to prepare Michigan high school students to develop and present sex-equitable career-related programs to middle school students. The emphasis is on career decision making based upon career interests rather than gender. This handbook is a guide for a 2-day workshop…

This paper discusses the life and accomplishments of Harriet Quimby, a Michigan woman who was an aviation pioneer (the first licensed woman pilot in 1911) and yet who is largely unknown. The paper appears in conjunction with a biography of Quimby aimed at intermediate students. The paper gives a dramatic account of Quimby's flight across the…

A dying school building, half a century old, recovers so dramatically and so economically that it receives national recognition. (Author)

Details two studies exploring how the middle school movement has affected gifted students. Notes the gap in attitudes between educators of gifted students and educators involved in the middle school-reform movement. Presents examples of fruitful collaboration that give promise for more effective future interaction. (SD)

Lions Quest "Skills for Adolescence" is a schoolwide program designed for middle school students (grades 6-8). The program was designed to promote good citizenship skills, core character values, and social-emotional skills and discourage the use of drugs, alcohol, and violence. The program includes a classroom curriculum, schoolwide…

It is important to study youth abusive drinking patterns because adolescent abusive drinking has been linked to several behavioral and sociological problems. Few studies, however, have examined early adolescent alcohol abuse or have addressed the problem of abusive drinking among rural area youth. A study was conducted to assess the extent to…

Described are two curriculum units from the Michigan Sea Grant Program for middle school students: The Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes, and Great Lakes Fisheries Transition. Topics discussed include fishery rights and responsibilities, where fisheries are, the modern fishery, buying and selling fish, and preserving fish. (DS)

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, influential in middle-grades policy, advocates a three tiered approach envisioning high-performing schools as academically rigorous, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable. This report discusses pioneering programs, critics' concerns, exemplary Michigan programs, and urban schools'…

Research indicates that thoughtful technology use can positively influence learning process inside and outside the classroom, and one-to-one computing has been gaining popularity. Although some view such initiatives as passing, others look at the mounting research and see opportunities to reshape the nature of instruction and learning. This brief…

During workshops held in March and April of 2005, Michigan educators got a lesson in how to benchmark their work against promising practices in higher-performing schools with similar socioeconomic profiles. Teams of teachers, educational supervisors, and principals from 13 elementary and middle schools that had been struggling to make adequate…