A well-designed peer or cross-age teaching program can significantly improve academic achievement and interpersonal growth among middle-level students. Effective peer programs are the result of systematic planning, training, supervision, and evaluation. When planning peer-helping program, administrators must consider need, philosophy, design, and…

Guest teachers are not sanctioned counterfeits of "real" teachers; they are optional community resources who can provide an additional, meaningful dimension to students' learning. This article provides administrators with recommendations for welcoming substitutes, familiarizing them with school schedules and lesson plans, and helping them work…

As school systems face more budget cuts, elaborate field trips are being axed. A Virginia middle school experimented with an overnight lockout in the school gym. Since seventh graders were already grouped into four heterogeneous teams for a pilot instructional program, these groups were maintained during the "gymboree." Each student wore…

To help personalize schooling for adolescents and provide the nurturing environment often lacking at home, teachers at a Bowie, Maryland, middle school began a mentoring project focusing on social exchange, sense of belonging, symbolic interaction, life skills enrichment, self-image, self-efficacy, resource development, and role models. Students…

Traditionally, student-recognition programs have included honor rolls, academic letters, athletic awards for students who excel. Such programs should also reinforce positive behavior and motivate students to try harder. Pennsylvania middle school launched good behavior program involving prizes from local businesses. Staff members handed to be…

Foreign language programs that link the study of cultural diversity to an interdisciplinary approach increase students' cultural sensitivity, while strengthening learning across many disciplines. Such exploratory courses promote academic skills by formalizing thought processes both in the target and native languages and also prepare students for…

Middle school students with neurological impairments suffer academic declines and a reduced sense of self-worth and empowerment. Schools Attuned is a program that helps teachers recognize neurodevelopmental dysfunctions such as attention disorders, memory deficits, language disabilities, and visual and motor impairments. The program also helps…

Characteristics of attention-deficit-disorder students include inability to concentrate, messy or incomplete work, difficulty following directions, failure to follow game rules, poor peer relations, and low self-esteem. Teachers should use visuals, provide "wait time" between changes in activities, give short, well-structured homework assignments,…

Establishing an "affective" middle school climate requires an engaging, fun-filled, student-centered curriculum, a high quality student affairs program, and strong parental support. The key to success is caring and not being afraid to show it every second of the day. (nine references) (MLH)

Instructional teams, an integral part of the middle school philosophy, need strong leadership from the administration and the team leader. Ensuring that team leaders have the necessary skills requires careful selection, appropriate training, regular meetings, decision making, communication, motivation, follow-up, and easy transition. To lead…

Recognizing that families are a powerful force in preventing or intervening in negative youth behaviors, the Gridely (Arizona) Middle School's substance abuse/intervention team launched a program to promote the positive aspects of family life. Family week activities included a local teen theater presentation featuring vignettes on timely topics,…

Service learning provides early adolescents with a unique opportunity to integrate curriculum and school activities. Because integration emerges from various needs or commonalities, service learning can become a team or single-class project, a one-shot or ongoing effort, a schoolwide or community activity. Initiators should develop a vision,…

The Johnstown (Pennsylvania) Middle School has adopted a simple, practical school bus discipline program that refers disruptive students to the bus-duty teacher to discuss the incident. The bus driver's written report activates the bus-rider training program, featuring temporary loss of riding privileges, a simulated bus ride, a safety video, a…

Students at a Baltimore, Maryland, middle school have been bombarded with lessons in self-esteem, career planning, and perils of early pregnancy. Directed equally at girls and boys, the Campaign for Our Children program is part of city's effort to curb its galloping teenage pregnancy. Through Governor's Council on Adolescent Pregnancy, campaign…

Describes the general education program for a Russian eighth grade student, compared to key elements reported in Lounsbury and Clark's 1990 national study of eighth graders. Russian intermediate students care how they look, like to socialize and discuss politics, and complete several hours of homework. Schools lack interdisciplinary teaming,…