This article reports on a recent study by the Rand Corporation that concluded that there is cause for middle schools to worry. Commissioned by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, one of four major philanthropies supporting the middle school movement, the Rand investigation is clear in its assessment: The American middle school leaves adolescents…

Surveys wishes and aspirations of early adolescents (rural, urban, and suburban students in central Virginia in grades 6 through 8). Finds 5 themes: the search for personal identity; conflicts in social relationships; life in school; issues of life and death; and real-life societal and global issues. Discusses the implications of these findings…

Describes service learning, and how it can inject relevance and meaning into the middle school curriculum. Offers an example of service learning with an environmental focus. Discusses the extended benefits of service learning, arguing that it provides meaningful learning contexts that support instruction in the formal classroom setting, and meets…

Uses the successful example of Whittier Middle School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to discuss community service projects in middle schools. Discusses types of projects and requirements for a successful program. (SR)

Middle schools attempt to create an environment that is natural for the age level and that does not force pre-adolescents to participate in sophisticated activities. (CK)

Discusses what social and emotional learning is; why it is necessary; what its key concepts and goals are; and why it is necessary to focus on social and emotional learning in the middle grades. Discusses how social and emotional learning is related to the social studies. Describes ways middle-school social-studies teachers can foster such…

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)

Describes the creation of an innovative problem-solving course for middle school teachers (based on the LEGO Mindstorms Robotic Invention System) intended to use a combination of logic, hands-on experience, and a modicum of trial and error to help middle school students identify the processes behind effectively solving problems. (SR)

Describes how one school (the Thomas J. Pappas Regional Education Center), serving about 300 homeless K-8 students, responds to the needs and problems of its students and focuses on an atmosphere of safety, stability, and nurturing. (SR)

Argues that social-studies curricula should foster values and practices consistent with democratic values; that this requires critical thinkers who can make informed decisions; and that decision making is based on being able to ask good, probing questions. Discusses the nature of middle-school learners, the strengthening of democracy, and…

Describes the genesis of a workshop for elementary and middle school teachers that would start with literature and then branch out to the sciences and mathematics, focusing on the topic "flight," and taking as its starting point the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus. Includes the first two class activities of the workshop. (SR)

Argues for the fundamental importance of fostering a lifetime reading habit in middle school students. Discusses various ways to provide opportunities to read in middle school; describes teacher demonstrations of effective reading/thinking behaviors; discusses reading aloud; and notes the importance of literacy educators advocating this kind of…

Discussed are the evolution and problems of the middle school movement. It is suggested that perhaps the middle school is helping to identify what is desirable for all levels of education and the only real difference between levels is the student. (Author/KC)