The purposes of this handbook, designed as part of the Right to Read Program in Hampton, Virginia, were to provide the middle grade teacher with both a progressive reading skills objectives list with a suggested management system for using these skills in classroom reading instruction and a list of activities which can be used in teacher-directed…

In his recent "Crime and Coercion," Colvin contends that individuals exposed to coercive environments develop social-psychological deficits that enhance their probability of engaging in criminal behavior. Using a sample of 2,472 students from six middle schools, the authors test core propositions of Colvin's differential coercion theory.…

This booklet is written for middle school students and their parents. It provides information about middle schools in Virginia, and includes suggestions about how parents may help their children during the middle school years. Chapter 1, "Starting Middle Schools," begins with a section on getting acquainted with middle school, discussing…

This paper discusses instructional objectives in middle school social studies programs in Virginia. Undertaken in response to a concern that middle school objectives were largely unsettled despite a significant amount of research, this study aimed at clarifying objectives by investigating Virginia social studies educators' professional positions…

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

Describes the Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) initiative to help Virginia meet the growing demand for qualified public school teachers. States that the program aims to recruit teachers, offer pre-service and teacher preparation activities and programs, and prepare teachers to take the Praxis I exam and for transfer to universities. (NB)

The document describes desirable practices for the education of gifted early adolescents in Virginia. It contains recommendations to assist in implementing a comprehensive plan for gifted middle-grade students compatible with state plans for overall middle school education. Research on students this age and on gifted students is cited to support…

This booklet, developed for persons interested in exemplary programs to improve vocational guidance and counseling, reviews currently funded projects in the field of vocational guidance. The document contains abstracts from 39 exemplary projects in vocational guidance and counseling in the state of Virginia. Included are abstracts from 7 projects…

This study examined the nature of and types of school involvement of parents of children with disabilities from rural school districts in Virginia. Parents (N=52) of elementary and middle school children from three different rural school districts completed a questionnaire containing a Likert type scale and open-ended questions. The data were…

The James River is one of the most precious resources of Virginia. It was the site of the first permanent English settlement in the New World; the power of the water at the Fall Zone was a major factor in the development of Richmond; and the river served as a primary transportation route to the West via the Kanawha Canal. Both the water itself and…

A project was conducted to accomplish the following: (1) to enhance the existing career resources in the career center at Northside Junior High School (Virginia) by purchasing computer programs appropriate for all segments of the middle school population; (2) to make the career center resources available to regional school systems or other…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an online learning environment on student computer use, classroom/school activities, and parental involvement. An online learning environment was created with the goals of giving students access to a variety of software programs from home and school, facilitating home-school connectivity, and…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying a crucial turning point in history students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set in motion a series…

This guide contains a minicourse based upon the content of "About the Middle School Years, Book 3" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. The minicourse has been designed to help students, with the involvement of their parents, to begin planning for their middle school education. Included in this guide is a sequential…

This practicum report describes the development and implementation of a middle school program in King and Queen County in Virginia's Middle Peninsula designed to improve the achievement of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students whose achievement scores were consistently lower than national and state averages. A literature review and…