Data were gathered from 221 middle and junior high school teachers in 4 states (Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania) and in schools located in 4 socioeconomic categories (urban, urban/inner city, suburban, rural). The teachers were surveyed to determine their attitudes about changing demographics of their pupils, knowledge of cultural…

A practicum intervention was designed to increase the motivation of seventh graders in a small, non-urban school system in the southeastern United States. Many of these students exerted little effort to succeed in school by completing homework, studying lessons, and participating in classroom activities. A series of staff development workshops…

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to understand the conceptual frameworks that sixth-grade students use to explain the nature and structure of matter and molecules; and (2) to assess the effectiveness of two alternate instructional units in helping students change those conceptions. The study involved 15 sixth-grade classes taught by 12…

Survey responses were received from 538 member institutions of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education on their programs for prospective middle school teachers. Results indicated that teacher preparation programs in this area have not kept pace with the growing numbers of teachers needed, and the predominant emphasis in…

This 22-item Marine Attitude Survey was developed for use in elementary/middle schools to measure students' attitudes about various aspects of marine science. Students are asked if they agree, are not sure, or disagree with such items as: (1) the seashore is a fun place to visit; (2) if all sharks were killed, the world would be a better place;…

Describes an information exchange program between two Maryland middle schools that used telecommunications to exchange geographical and historical information and personal data. The activities of the talented and gifted classes that participated in the program are described, teacher responsibilities are explained, and the culminating visit between…

In the fall of 2001, a local middle school decided to implement a new elective course. This course was designed to assist struggling middle school readers in acquiring the reading proficiency that would be required to succeed in higher level course work. Students remained in their regular English classes, but devoted the elective period that their…

There is no data on the extent to which attention disorder drugs have been diverted or abused at school, or the extent to which state laws or regulations guide local school offices in safely administering these drugs. To clarify these issues, this report provides information on and analysis of: (1) the diversion and abuse of attention deficit…

Numerous studies have focused on attitudes toward reading and how to measure such attitudes. The present study examined the effects of both the survey format and the reading abilities of 82 sixth graders at a middle school in McDuffie County, Georgia. Since all of the students had taken the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, the language arts composite…

An evaluation was conducted of the service-learning-based Community Connection program at Baker Middle School in south Texas to determine whether the program is having an impact on student achievement, attendance, perception toward self, school, and community. Data were collected through a survey of a sample of 120 students from the target…

This report presents results of a cross-sectional study of achievement and underachievement in middle and high school (grades 6 to 9) African-American students in five mid-Atlantic school districts in 1995. Interviews with 152 African-American students, of whom 44 were identified as gifted, were conducted. Students were asked about their…

The learning contract is the ideal way to enable the teacher to raise levels of expectation, to provide individual attention, and to personalize the educational experience. Includes a sample contract and suggested practices for the use of a learning contract. (15 references) (MLF)

The results of questionnaires given designed to provide information on the effect of student teaching on the attitudes and career interests of secondary mathematics preservice teachers are presented. The recommendations/suggestions obtained from the questionnaires concerning the secondary mathematics and middle school methods courses and a copy of…

This study examined the differences in middle school students' (n=287) perceptions of science activities among three instructional approaches: (1) lecture-worksheet; (2) traditional laboratory; and (3) problem solving. Chi-square analysis of questionnaire responses indicated that, on seven of the eight questions, students responded more positively…

This paper describes a study in which both collaborative action research and collaborative mathematics classroom instruction took place. The mathematics instruction consisted of the implementation of a problem-solving curriculum into seventh-grade mathematics classrooms. One problem-solving strategy per week for 10 weeks was introduced to the 4…