Discusses the nature of middle school and early adolescents; national standards and economic education; and curricular practices for middle-school economics. Outlines guidelines to help make decisions about what materials and activities to use for practical economics in the middle-school curriculum. (SR)

Reminds readers of the 1989 Carnegie report on the education of young adolescents ("Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century"), its warnings, and its recommendations. Introduces this special issue on middle-school social studies, discussing from many different viewpoints just how teachers and students might proceed…