The interdisciplinary team organization allows teachers to allocate time to accommodate the curriculum and young adolescents' instructional needs. For maximum flexibility, several scheduling options may be considered: large-group instructional time, one less period daily, heterogeneous class grouping, and "top class" team scheduling. Advantages,…

Instructional teams, an integral part of the middle school philosophy, need strong leadership from the administration and the team leader. Ensuring that team leaders have the necessary skills requires careful selection, appropriate training, regular meetings, decision making, communication, motivation, follow-up, and easy transition. To lead…

Participating in a transition to a middle-level school provides the most potential for professional growth within a given school culture. In this article, a former middle school principal shows how a content-oriented, somewhat inflexible veteran seventh-grade social studies teacher reluctantly embraced middle-school teaming and eventually…

A middle school in River Falls, Wisconsin, exemplifies middle-level philosophy by providing individualized learning programs, a core curriculum, a guidance program, education for citizenship, and cocurricular activities. The school program emphasizes enhanced exploratory learning opportunities, team-teaching of core subjects, and a…

At a Virginia middle school, the Collaborative Teaching Project was established to increase overall student achievement and attitude levels, while providing teachers skilled at delivering instructional programs to children with a wide variety of instructional and personal needs. Program objectives were built around student outcomes, staff…

As an alternative to a pullout program, Ardsley (New York) Middle School implemented a collaborative/integrated special education program for grades five through eight. Each interdisciplinary team has a communication arts, social studies, math, and science teacher, as well as a special education teacher and a teaching assistant. Additional support…

At a Pennsylvania middle school, an informal, cooperative effort to apply fractions to cookie recipes resulted in an interdisciplinary project on the homelessness. Embracing home economics, mathematics, art, English, social studies, and reading, the project incorporates the essentials of middle school philosophy: cooperative learning, team…

Inclusive education for students with disabilities is consistent with educational reform principles emphasizing high standards for all students, specified outcomes, authentic assessment systems, interdisciplinary teaching teams, and school organizational modifications supporting reform. In one Missouri junior high school, special education…

In 1992, the College of Education at the University of Arkansas formed a partnership with the Elkins (Arkansas) School District to strengthen both the university's and the school's middle-level education efforts. Both parties agreed to develop a middle-level program in the Elkins School District and use teacher and college faculty exchanges to…

Notes that a clearly defined purpose with identification of performance goals is crucial to the success of middle school teacher teams. Provides several practical ways for teacher teams to discover or define their purpose, including naming the team and identifying desirable qualities for team members. (HTH)

Two decades after helping a school begin the transition to middle level, observations are made of the results of middle school planning, implementation, and evaluation. Chief areas of focus were interdisciplinary teaming, block scheduling, exploratory activities, and an adviser-advisee arrangement. (MLF)

Collaborative teaching offers one strategy for combining efforts of special and regular educators to provide a strong education for all students and avoid special-needs students' isolation from peers. Staffing and scheduling may be a problem at secondary level. Collaborative models require teachers' clear understanding of respective roles,…

Because staff development is the most important factor in advancing the middle school philosophy, administrators should take special care to make inservice activities meaningful. In a recent informal survey, 58 middle school teachers with varying degrees of experience and expertise identified adolescent development, interdisciplinary teaming, and…

A pilot program at an upstate New York school district involved 11 middle school students identified as at risk. Basic program elements included the following: (1) placement of students with the regular group; (2) increased on-on-one contact between students and adults; (3) positive involvement of parents; (4) use of computers; and (5) team…

Examines effective lesson-planning under the integrated curriculum approach. Proposes a seven-step plan of writing, discussing, and revising proposed plans. Suggests that using the writing process in lesson planning as a team creates a multidisciplinary, integrated curriculum with organized, power-packed lessons and activities, offering a…