In 2011, new teacher education programmes were introduced in Sweden. This policy case study examines the outcome of the reform, focusing on the pedagogic discourses in the examination practise of the primary teacher education programme, but also on the possible effects of dividing teacher education for primary teachers into two specialisations:…

Ask a room full of sixth and seventh graders at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School in St. George, UT, to name their favorite part of the day and the answer is, in unison, always the same: REAL (respect, explore, achieve, lead) Time. This 35-minute block embedded into the school's schedule three days each week provides immediate, specific…

Although controversial, perhaps no piece of legislation has the potential to transform India's future more than the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE). Upon the passage and enforcement of RTE in 2009, the Indian government instituted a series of wide-ranging reforms to India's education system. For example, the act…

When ranking Carnegie Corporation's 8 recommendations in "Turning Points," 34 principals of exemplary middle schools rated ensuring success for all students as most important, followed by creating a community for learning, empowering teachers and administrators, teaching a core of common knowledge, preparing teachers, reengaging…

Describes the PowerKids Cadre, a governance committee of fourth graders at a school belonging to the Accelerated Schools Network. Highlights the spirit of school reform that permeates the school community, which has made a long-term commitment to change. (SK)

Summarizes findings of several major middle schools reports, highlighting the National Middle School Association's publication "This We Believe" (1982), NASSP's "An Agenda for Excellence at the Middle Level" (1985), the California State Department of Education's "Caught in the Middle" (1987), and the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development's…

Describes a study to identify the concerns, issues, and questions about middle-level education in four communities. Survey data gathered from teachers, parents, and the general public were clustered into manageable categories. Major concerns included a pervasive sense of anonymity, puzzling curriculum, lack of rigor or challenge, sociability and…

It would be hard to squeeze over 1,750 books on middle-level school reform onto a five-foot bookcase! With 22 experts' assistance, a manageable, three-part annotated bibliography of 80 books, reports, and journal articles covering core research areas, state reports, and critical reading was assembled. Samuel Totten's own bibliography (in section…

Instead of trying to imitate high school programs, staff at many U.S. middle schools are working to transform school climate, become more sensitive to adolescent needs, and experiment with team arrangements, new schedules, advisory programs, and other organizational patterns. This article uses three case studies to illustrate new approaches to…

Describes difficulties of Saint Paul's Saturn School of Tomorrow from planner, implementor, and evaluator viewpoints. The plan for a citywide, ungraded, downtown middle school called for an extended school year and the latest technology in a completely redesigned building with 4 teachers, 4 interns, and 162 students. Teachers were overworked, test…

Describes some lessons learned from studying a California middle school participating in the Accelerated Schools Project. Factors facilitating school change include acknowledging school culture's importance, involving all school community members, and developing a clear training philosophy. Clarifies schools' capacity-building strategies for…

Examined the nature and extent of structural change and how successfully various constituency groups were handling the change in three schools. Findings indicated that positive change was occurring along with anticipated dimensions of quality schooling indicators, while curriculum and instructional reform lagged behind. Claims that these schools…

Describes a staff development project, created by and for teachers, that consolidates awareness, realistic planning, implementation, sharing, and frequent assessment activities to answer the calls for educational reform to both improve and change classroom instruction. Includes staff development questionnaire. (MKR)

Meaningful change is possible only when supported by leadership at the classroom, school, district, and state levels. University of Michigan's Coalition Project was designed to change the motivational culture of a middle school by realigning schoolwide policies and practices with desired changes (emphasis on effort, improvement, and mastery) in…

Describes how the author, a fifth-grade teacher, found the desire, the inspiration, and continuing motivation and rewards to break out of her traditional teaching practices and implement the Reading Workshop in her class. (SR)