Middle-level instructional teams promote feelings of belonging and enhance student academic and social growth, teacher job satisfaction, mission clarity, and instructional program strength. A survey of Ohio middle-school teachers and principals disclosed four components promoting successful team development: including all participants in teamwork…

This 6-week course for students at Ruffing Montessori Middle School provides instruction in communication skills, information on human development, and instruction on skills useful in working as a volunteer or tutor. It culminates with service given to first graders in the primary environment and lays the foundation for the extended community work…

The focus of this study is the current level of implementation of 18 basic middle school characteristics as perceived by principals of two groups of Ohio public schools, those organized by grades 6-8 and those organized by grades 5-8. Questionnaire responses were received from administrators of 166 of the 208 schools that met the definition of…

This document consists of short reviews of 13 Ohio schools. The goal is to illustrate each school's atmosphere and members through a report made by an education expert who actually visited the school, as opposed to a statistical report. Interviews of students and teachers are included, as are impressions of reform methods being used in the school,…

Reports on a study of the planned, written, and actual art curricula of 40 selected middle schools. Finds that, although design principles and art appreciation were identified as part of the curriculum, both the written and implemented curriculum was highly oriented toward art production. (CFR)

Studies the status of the mathematics reform effort in Ohio, specifically measuring the dissemination of the standards and teachers' opinions of Ohio's Competency-Based Mathematics Model to determine whether there were significant differences in knowledge of the standards and opinions of the Competency-Based Mathematics Model based on teacher…

This study, commissioned by the Lucas County (Ohio) Health Department, was designed to assess parental beliefs and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS prevention for youth, particularly in middle and high schools. In November 1996, 400 telephone interviews were completed with parents of middle/high school students in Lucas County. Names were randomly…

This information packet is designed to help Ohio's high school and middle/junior high school teachers develop a plan to communicate and market the state's work and family life program to various constituencies (students, parents, guidance counselors, school boards, and the general public). Discussed first are the rationale for and intended results…

This state of Ohio planning guide is designed to help teachers at middle, junior high, and senior high school levels plan for art activities, units, courses of study, and curriculum guides. The guide stresses planning as a process best carried out at the local school district level where goals, content, and activities can be tailored to the needs…

Ideas submitted by middle school Youth for Justice teams are presented. Sixty-four teams from middle schools in all regions of Ohio spent 5 months researching and preparing their ideas for the Youth Summit. Ideas that identify and propose solutions and action steps to address the multiple problems of violence by and against youth are compiled in…

Students at Woodridge Middle School in Peninsula, Ohio, have access to a brand new library which houses more than 10,000 items. This study examined whether students take advantage of the school library and its resources when completing school assignments. A random sample of students in grades six through eight was given a questionnaire to fill out…

This annotated bibliography contains resources considered helpful for Ohio teachers looking for new strategies or theories about teaching writing. Presented first is an annotated listing of 18 books and articles. Each entry includes some or all of the following: title, author, publication data, brief summary or explanation, and indication of…

Designed for middle school through high school students, this unit contains eight lesson plans that focus on Ohio 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, or…

The faculty of one rural middle school in Ohio received professional development funds to implement a 5-year school improvement plan (Ohio's Venture Capital initiative). A study of the project investigated: (1) how the experience affected teachers' perceptions of their roles as reflective practitioners and as resources to their colleagues; (2) how…

Describes the Dublin model, a program which uses thematic units or individualized reading assignments to focus on popular adolescent literature and includes projects that demonstrate students' comprehension of text. Discusses the formulation, implementation, and assessment of this program. (RS)