The focus of this special issue is mathematics education. All articles were written by graduates of the new masters Degree program in which students earn a Master of Arts degree in Education with a concentration in Mathematics Education at San Francisco State University. Articles include: (1) "Developing Teacher-Leaders in a Masters Degree Program…

The teaching activities presented in this issue are intended to enhance literature instruction for students in grades 5-9. The activities include those specifically designed for use with "The Diary of Anne Frank,""Johnny Tremain,""The Contender,""No Promises in the Wind," and "Farenheit 451." The journal also contains general activities centered…

This paper provides a definition for the word democracy and examines some of the many definitions and descriptions of democracy that have been offered over time. The paper offers a lesson plan for teaching about democracy, beginning with an introduction: "Democracy as an Argument or a Developing Dialogue" (Donald Bragaw; Michael…

These three 1995 newsletter issues explore concepts and problems relevant to middle-level education. The cover story for the spring issue examines new trends in educational assessment. Additional briefs in this issue discuss team teaching, school reform as a community-wide effort, and home-school collaboration. The cover article for the Fall issue…

This publication identifies five levels of gang activity in middle and high schools and presents corresponding strategies for dealing with troublesome situations. The five levels of involvement include: (1) no known gang activity; (2) limited gang activity; (3) emerging gang activity; (4) community in crisis; and (5) gang-controlled community. A…

The first of two documents presented, "Better Mathematics for K-8" (Iris M. Carl), describes the underlying assumptions, purpose, origin, formation, goals, and content of the "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Information on implementing the Standards is…

Designed as an overview of the progress of middle schools in the last two decades, this document compares results from a 1968 survey that sampled 10 percent of middle schools with at least three, and not more than five grades, and including grades 6 and 7, with those of a similar 1988 survey. Following a brief summary of the origins of the middle…

Over the past 5 years, McKnight Middle School in Renton, Washington, has instituted a new discipline policy, integrated a study skills program throughout the curriculum, upgraded the curriculum, created several reward and recognition policies for both students and teachers, and increased parent and district involvement. The discipline policy…

Intended for writing teachers, the activities in this issue blend right/left brain lessons--kinesthetic, spatial, and playful--to provide students with prewriting experience. The activities include the following: (1) creativity olympics, such as finding criteria by which large groups of students may subdivide themselves into successively smaller…

The cable television channels A&E and the History Channel (and their Web sites) offer an array of creative ideas developed by teachers who understand teachers' busy schedules. This booklet provides supplementary content for A&E and History Channel programs along with correlation links to the national standards, grade level guidelines,…

Adolescents are entering middle level schools today with more sophisticated skills and a broader range of positive experiences than ever before. However, middle-school students undergo major physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes. This publication describes the role of educators and the school in helping middle-school students develop…

This document is comprised of the 12 monthly issues of a newsletter providing support and information for providers of child care for school-age children. The featured articles for each month are: (1) "Reflections on the School-Age Field" (September); (2) "Tips for Effective Service-Learning Projects in Out-of-School Time…

Site-based management (SBM) gives teachers, principals, and communities a method for directly affecting and improving their schools. This newsletter describes some of the advantages of SBM, which can result in greater accountability for student learning and an increased opportunity for parents, teachers, students, and business. The greatest…

This bulletin is devoted to clarifying central issues in the self-esteem debate, with a view to pointing out implications for practice. The relevance of self-esteem to academic achievement is particularly emphasized. The first chapter reviews different meanings that self-esteem has acquired in the context of different theories. Chapter 2…

The goal of civic education should be to develop competent, responsible citizens whose words and actions uphold and enrich the constitutional democracy of the United States. Being a good citizen requires proper knowledge, skills, and dispositions. This forum offers five articles: (1) "Educating Responsible Citizens" (Ivor Pritchard;…