A study focused on the problems of poor performance in classroom assignments and state-wide writing assessments of middle grade students in the practicum setting. The goals of the practicum plan were: (1) to improve teacher competency in the steps of the writing process; (2) to improve student attitudes about writing; and (3) to improve writing…

This paper addresses the problem that gender imbalance in curriculum and instruction contributes to sexism, stereotyping, and bias in schools. The study was conducted in a reading classroom in a grade 6-8 middle school of 970 students in a suburban area of the northeast United States. The program focused on inservice workshops and integration of…

The Home-School-Community Agent (HSCA) Project of the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools was established in the 1990-91 school year to help disruptive students make a positive adjustment to elements in their lives that interfere with success in school. The project was implemented through 21 HSCAs in nine high schools and 12 middle schools. Each agent…

In spring 1988, the Johns Hopkins Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools (CREMS) conducted a national survey of principals in 2,400 public middle grade schools that include grade 7. Using the 1988 survey date, this document presents an overview of educational approaches and practices in schools that serve early adolescents. Topics…

This paper discusses the principles and describes the planning and development of a student teaching program model for Northeastern Illinois University students. The program is in its fourth year and was collaboratively designed by faculty from the university and a local middle school. The model is based on the importance of communication,…

A project provided technical assistance to approximately 200 vocational guidance/counseling program personnel in the Northeast Texas Area. A project advisory committee provided input for program planning, program improvement, and program evaluation. The project provided instruction in the courses required for certification in vocational…

This report presents a first year evaluation of the Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)/ Cooperative Learning Project, a 3-year collaborative effort by two Pennsylvania school districts--the Pittston Area School District and the Hatboro-Horsham School District--and Research for Better Schools (RBS). The project proposed to integrate advanced…

This practicum was designed to address declining parental participation in school functions and activities at a middle school, along with a low level of parental involvement or interest in their children's education. A year-long parental involvement program was developed that encouraged parents to: (1) interact with their children and their…

This master thesis examines the African American male students in San Bernardino (California) middle schools and high schools in order to compare those findings to findings in the literature and to be able to recommend ways to improve their performance. The study reviews available statistical data about African American male students compiled by…

Alum Rock Elementary Union School District had an interest in a middle school program being introduced by Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) called "History Alive!" Supplementary materials from TCI were already in use in many of the classrooms and several of the district administrators were interested in whether the full middle school…

This report on the experimental Northeast Global Studies Middle Magnet School in Kansas City, Missouri, discusses the planning and implementation of a global studies curriculum to be implemented by the school. The 1990-1991 school year was the school's first as a magnet school under a consent decree issued by a federal judge. The decree was…

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence middle and high school students' use of public libraries, the type of materials they use, and the frequency with which students use public libraries compared to the students' use of school library media centers. A questionnaire was used as the data gathering instrument. It was…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the mathematical structures inherent in grade 7 geometry curriculum objectives can be used to improve the communication of the objectives to students. Teacher inservice based upon geometrical properties and structures was combined with student teaching materials to try to improve student achievement…

The purpose of this booklet is to articulate the student outcomes expected for children in grades K-12. This document seeks to reflect the major themes of science education. These common curriculum goals have been developed not to detail separate facts of science needed to be taught by every science program, but to detail a larger view of the same…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention to reduce inappropriate behavioral incidents among early adolescent students. The targeted population consisted of middle school students in an urban area and high school students in a rural area in the Midwest. The problem of inappropriate behaviors was documented by means of…