Students benefit when educators personalize a high school by developing a sense of community. A Puerto Rico international school employed middle-level concepts (interdisciplinary teams and advisory programs) to build community. Community-minded educators develop a definition unique to their school, know the characteristics of effective…

A Texas high school undertook measures to ensure that more students participate with increased confidence and success in advanced in advanced math classes. The challenge was to provide support so students remained in advanced classes--an effort requiring considerable counselor, teacher, and administrator teamwork and encouragement. The process was…

Many middle schools use teaming or other models to create smaller teaching and learning units. Too often, schools align these models with characteristics advocated in the literature, rather than focusing on collaborative work environments' effects on teachers' and students' lives. These structures' true value lies in the collaborative work…

A recent case study examined how the organizational changes from junior high to middle school influenced the science program for a large North Carolina school system, focusing on teacher preparation, time allocation, interdisciplinary instruction, equipment allocation, and information and leadership issues. Science instruction was enhanced under…