While incorporating digital technologies into the classroom has offered new ways of teaching and learning into educational processes, it is essential to take a look at how the digital shift impacts teachers, school administration, and curriculum development. "Academic Knowledge Construction and Multimodal Curriculum Development" presents…

This first chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains four articles that describe strategies for counselors to use in helping middle school students move toward self-understanding. "A Dialogue with Self: The Journal as an Educational Tool," by Dalva Hedlund, Tanis Furst, and Kathryn Foley, describes journal writing as a…

This second chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles that deal with family relationships in early adolescence. "Teen-Parent Relationship Enrichment Through Choice Awareness," by Richard Nelson and Marsha Link, describes a process through which counselors may help to enrich relationships between teenagers…

This sixth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles on academic achievement in early adolescence. "Succeeding in Middle School: A Multimodal Approach," by Edwin Gerler, Jr., Nancy Shannon Drew, and Phyllis Mohr, describes a study conducted to examine the effects of the multimodal program, "Succeeding in…

This seventh chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles on career exploration during the middle school years. "'What Can School Do for Me?': A Guidance Play," by Natalie Wilson, presents a fantasy in which a middle school student and a superhero companion take a tour of the world of careers. The script of the…

This fifth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" looks at the issue of sexual maturation in early adolescence via four articles. "The Counselor's Impact on Middle-Grade Students," by Hershel Thornburg, examines physical, intellectual, and social developmental tasks of early adolescence. "Contraceptive and Sexuality Knowledge…

This book combines short stories with clear, factual health information for adolescent females about menstruation and their bodily changes they are experiencing. It focuses on young girls' concerns and questions about menstruation and educates through a combination of the front matter and the stories themselves. Coming from different generations…

This third chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains four articles on peer pressure and drug abuse in early adolescence. "Initiation of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the Midel School Years," by Robert Hubbard, Rebecca Brownlee, and Ron Anderson, presents a study designed to provide a prospective assessment of the nature and…

This fourth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles on stress and suicide in early adolescence. "Stress and the Middle Grader," by David Elkind, looks at technology and stress, describes three basic stress situations, and identifies stresses common to the middle grader. Stress symptoms in middle graders…

This eighth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains five articles on the organization of a middle school counseling program. "The Counselor and Modern Middle-Level Schools: New Roles in New Schools," by Paul George, examines characteristics of successful schools and considers some new roles for the counselor. "Teacher…

A series of six papers and an introduction which present the results and tentative analyses of studies investigating such constructs as self-esteem, perceptions of control, and competence are included in this document. These papers are: (1) "Multiple Dimensions of Locus of Control and Their Relationship To Standardized Achievement Scores in Fifth…

This book of readings presents 33 articles that address topics of importance to counselors who serve middle school students. It was written for counselors already working in middle schools and for individuals who are preparing for careers as middle school counselors. The book will also benefit both elementary school counselors who help children…

This report summarizes the work of the Connecticut Task Force on the Education of Early Adolescents, which convened to make recommendations for reform policies in middle grade education. Prompted by a report issued by the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, this report is the result of efforts to define the specific tasks that needed to be…

This volume consists of reports on the status and function of lower secondary comprehensive school systems in four countries with contrasting cultures and educational traditions: Denmark, France, the United Kingdom as represented by Scotland, and the United States as represented by Maryland and Minnesota. The volume begins with an analysis by…

This monograph is designed to serve as a vision for guiding the future of vocational education at the middle level. Chapter 1, "Understanding Early Adolescents" (Frances Smith), provides an overview of early adolescent development as a basis for developing middle-level vocational education programs. Chapter 2, "Essential Elements of…