Describes a class for ninth graders at a private school that used the study of music to help develop six basic intellectual skills and to provide a foundation for further creative work. Discusses using the inquiry/discovery method, applying the intellect, listening to and learning from pop music, the dangers of this approach, and the final exam…

Describes the Meaningful Other Person (MOP) program instituted at a North Carolina ninth grade center that reduced the dropout rate by 50 percent. (FL)

Describes an elective course for at-risk ninth-grade students that focuses on sports literature--articles and columns in the daily newspaper, young adult novels, and a sports anthology. (SR)

Summarizes the results of a project to make a class of learning disabled ninth graders aware of their individual learning styles. This seemed to increase their self-esteem and thus they worked according to their strengths and their grades improved. (NKA)

Describes a program to improve mathematical skills of off-track students through a partnership among a university, public school, local telephone company, and the community (including families and social agencies). Shows significant improvements in students' academic achievement, and notes that all of the teachers felt the social work aspect had a…