The future of the nation, and the future of world civilization, will soon rest in the hands of today's youth (Kleon & Rinhart, 1998). Youth organizations such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H provide lifelong leadership and life skills that youth of all ages will continue to use throughout their life. Leadership and positive youth…

The major objectives of this study were to determine the characteristics of creativity development of Chinese children, the creative organizational climate of Chinese schools, and the relations among them. The results provided evidence that the creativity scores of children in elementary school were significantly higher than those of children in…

With a growing number of school hours devoted to increased instructional time and physical education programs being scaled back in many schools, the afterschool hours are becoming increasingly crucial to ensuring the healthy development of the nation's youth. Additionally, with students spending the majority of their waking hours and consuming the…

Parents who understand the dynamics of adolescent growth and can adopt some sound management strategies stand a better chance of establishing real communication with their youngsters. Schools can help this process by establishing parents' institutes and parents' resource centers on early adolescence. These offer a much-needed alternative to…

A ten-year study of television viewing and content found that middle level students watch more television than any other age group. They are exposed to violence, sex, use of drugs, and sex role socialization in many programs. Schools can help students become discriminating consumers of television. (MLF)

The principles of a sound education can be incorporated in a middle school or a junior high school. It is important that commitment be made to programs rather than to the psychological ploy of a name. (Author/MLF)

Effective middle-level schools provide students with a supportive structure in the form of relationships between teachers and students. Research has confirmed the effectiveness of team organization, advisory groups, multi-age grouping, and exploratory curricula. (Author/MLF)

Asserts that children in junior high and middle school may be reluctant to participate in the process of counseling. Recommends that school counselors use therapeutic techniques that actively involve children and excite their imagination. Examines three such techniques that work with middle school students: game play, stories and metaphors, and…

This longitudinal study responds to a need for new perspectives and research tools for studying school transition stress by identifying changes in student role strains and assessing sex differences in these changes during the transition from elementary school to a middle school for grades six through eight. Subjects included 120 fifth-grade…

Delineates specific psychosocial developmental demands placed upon middle schoolers and links these demands to the self-concept disturbance they typically feel. Offers a number of general recommendations useful to educators who are interested in considering the relationship between educational experiences and self-concept disturbance among early…

Examines recent research on cultural and gender differences among early adolescents, focusing on friendship patterns, identity development, social expectations, self-esteem, learning styles, health concerns, achievement aspirations, and sex role attitudes and behaviors. Young adolescents benefit when middle-level educators provide opportunities…

The Walking Advisement program at Crittenden Middle School in Armonk, New York was started during the 1984-1985 school year. It was based on the work of Alfred Arth, a middle school specialist at the University of Wyoming. Essentially, the program attempts to expand the guidance function of the school by bringing faculty and students together to…

The essential elements of middle school education are defined in this position paper. After a brief introduction, the pamphlet describes middle schools' rationale, which is based on the uniqueness of "transescence," the period from age 10 to 14 when children are making the transition from childhood to full adolescence. The major…

Discusses middle schools' phenomenal growth over the past 20 years. Compared with junior high schools, middle schools provide better transition between elementary and high school, offer broader and more flexible programs, and focus on early adolescent needs. Problems of identity and inadequate teacher education are also discussed. Includes 32…

This guide was produced by the Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free, a coalition of governors' spouses, federal agencies, and public and private organizations which aims to alert the nation of and mobilize action to prevent this critical public health problem. It is the only national effort that focuses on this age group. The guide is an…