As the first principal of a new Title 1 school in Texas, Deborah Brennan faced the challenge of where to begin improving instruction when a school's population bears no resemblance to the traditional Response to Intervention pyramid (in which 75-85 percent of students flourish with Tier 1 instruction). In contrast, nearly 300 of the 850 students…

Summit San Jose is part of the Summit Public Schools network, a group of charter schools in California's Bay Area. In 2011, when Summit San Jose first opened its new high school with a cohort of 9th graders, the teachers decided to pilot Khan Academy. At the time, they had piloted their math resources and platform with five classrooms in Los…

Argues that the middle school years are the most critical period for the individual to synthesize a rational, positive, personal value system and offers psychological insights that have implications for school organization, curriculum design, and staff preparation. (Author/JG)

Through a formal program offering in-school jobs to students who want or need them, kids at a small-town Oregon middle school can experience various work conditions and apply abstract knowledge to practical problems. As science aides, playground assistants, and groundskeepers, students earn tokens that can be spent for parties, field trips, school…

In its 1982 long-range school improvement plan, the Muhlenberg (Pennsylvania) School District targeted mathematical computation skills, focusing on (1) developing a management information system to document student achievement; (2) redesigning the curriculum; (3) aligning regular and remedial mathematics programs; and (4) implementing a…

Describes the Global Classroom, a set of global-studies resources for teachers in Seattle, Washington, to provide students with authentic learning experiences integrating knowledge of other countries and diverse cultures. Includes description of global themes, partner schools, international visitors, travelers' tales, and community partnerships.…

Balancing theory, administration, and practice, Newport News (Virginia) public schools achieved a smooth transition to middle school organization. (Author)

Middle schools may accrue many benefits by adopting concepts and practices from the early childhood education model. Two concepts are fundamental: learning must be based on developmental abilities, and learning occurs through action. (Author/IRT)

Because the brains of 12-14 year olds are in a slow-growth period, middle schools should concentrate on developing maturity in existing cognitive skills rather than on introducing new skills. (IRT)

Presents data from a survey of the effectiveness of middle school programs in 34 states. The data show that changing to middle school organization results in student achievement gains, decreased discipline problems, enhanced personal development among students, and other positive effects. (MD)

A Bedford, Massachusetts, middle school lived through a series of critical incidents while moving into site-based management. Flaps developed over minute-taking responsibilities in faculty meetings and a student exchange arrangement with an inner-city middle school. A "pyramiding" process to close the communication gap helped maintain…

The dramatic ups and downs so often witnessed in adolescents are the result of changes in their brain activity. It is vital that the emotional and psychological needs that arise from such intense brain development are acknowledged and addressed so that middle school becomes a safe environment for the budding adults.

A parent deplores the overemphasis on socialization and collaboration in his son's seventh-grade classroom. He believes cooperative learning limits his son's educational opportunity, intellectual growth, and motivation to achieve. In the wake of corporate downsizing, there's even greater need for individual initiative and expertise. Social…

Middle School Math Project at Education Development Center in Newton, Massachusetts, puts industry representatives into classroom to free teachers for professional development and to show students real-life applications of science and math. Although the program is no magic bullet for achieving teacher professionalism, this innovative approach buys…

In 1989, Swift Current Division in Saskatchewan, Canada, initiated the Chalk, Chips, and Children technology project. The project was funded by various corporate partners and developed by a broadly constituted advisory committee. The principal's role changed drastically as he reexamined leadership competencies and faculty developed their own…