The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

There are currently three popular models of exploratory programs in middle level schools: (1) traditional exploratory courses (art, music, industrial arts); (2) elective mini-courses (newspapers, environmental issues, video productions); and (3) integration of exploratory opportunities within the core curriculum (relating a single topic to social…

Social isolation and the harassment of students with disabilities are closely related problems that occur in schools throughout the country. Often, both problems begin in middle school. Social isolation and harassment can feed each other--without meaningful interaction with students with disabilities, other students are more likely to make hurtful…

This newsletter focuses on strategies middle grades schools are using to prepare more students for success in high school. This is part of a series of newsletters describing best practices for implementing the HSTW, MMGW and TCTW (High Schools That Work, Making Middle Grades Work, Technology Centers That Work) school improvement models. The series…

In 2003, the Mathematics and Science Unit of the South Carolina Department of Education developed the Mathematics and Science Coaching Initiative. The model--one coach, one school, one content area--requires participating schools to commit to a three-year partnership. The three-year commitment ensures sufficient time for coaching to become an…

This report describes the flexible scheduling practices of Kennedy Middle School in Aiken, South Carolina and its Interdisciplinary Middle School Program for Advisement, Counseling, and Teaming (IMPACT). The school is organized into 2 sixth-grade, 2 seventh-grade, and 2 eighth-grade teams, each of which contains 6 teachers and 90 to 150 students.…

Claims that service learning can help middle-school counselors enhance students' self-esteem. Discusses service learning's increasing popularity and its purposes. Describes one such program's initiation in South Carolina which provides tutoring, working with the elderly, and helping the poor. Examines student perceptions of the program and the…

At Greenville Middle School, South Carolina, students interview the authors of their favorite books using telephone conference equipment. (PF)

Service learning can help students learn specific skills and concepts, particularly in social studies. The article examines characteristics of good middle school service learning projects, explains how to begin a project, discusses the benefits of service learning, presents an example of service learning in Wren Middle School, Piedmont (South…

This study examined what teachers know about health-related fitness (HRF) and how confident they are in their knowledge. Seventy-three middle school physical education teachers completed a 3-part cognitive HRF test and a self-efficacy questionnaire that required responses to statements about how confident they were in passing a HRF knowledge test.…

Grade retention and delayed entry to kindergarten are two of the major causes of overaged students in middle school. While data is often difficult to obtain, the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 reported that 20 percent of all eighth graders had repeated at least one grade (Wheelock 1998). In South Carolina, where students are…

Three studies determined if the Summer Step reading program (a residential camping program implemented on the campus of Camp Baskervill Episcopal Outreach of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, using a personalized, contextualized reading approach) was effective, if children's self-esteem was enhanced by participation in the program, and if the…

In a culture glorifying thinness and beauty, most females (especially adolescents) carry some risk of developing eating disorders. A recent survey of 280 South Carolina middle school students disclosed significant female/male differences. About 70% of the girls felt fat; many used various weight-loss techniques, including dieting, fasting,…

The author reviews eight school size studies performed by doctoral students and graduate faculty at the University of South Carolina. These studies examine the relationship of South Carolina school size to academic achievement and to costs per student at all grade span groupings, including elementary, middle, and high school. The studies are…

Reports the findings of a study comparing the perceptions of principals and teachers toward the performance of instructional leaders. Offers recommendations for improving the principal's effectiveness. (WD)