This booklet is designed to help middle school students and their teachers analyze in-school study habits, providing 12 specific suggestions to help students succeed academically. Students need to understand the importance of: (1) school attendance; (2) good health; (3) paying attention in class; (4) effective note-taking skills; (5) picking a…

It is estimated that attention deficit disorder (ADD) affects from 3 to 10% of school age students. The ratio of male to female is reported as high as six to one. Children with ADD display signs of inappropriate inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity and are more likely than other children to have a variety of academic and social problems.…

This evaluation report examines effects of integrating 39 students with mental retardation in 5 elementary and 2 middle schools in Madison (Wisconsin) during the 1988-89 school year. Also reported is the integration of 20 students into the high school program. Data used included interviews and questionnaires with 16 general and 9 special education…

At a small, northeastern suburban elementary school, the records used to characterize the skills and to anticipate the needs of the diverse students in transition (between grades, school levels, or special to regular education programs) did not provide receiving teachers an effective assessment of current performance levels; nor was there adequate…

This paper discusses the use of process writing to assist middle and junior high school students in becoming competent, confident mathematical problem solvers and communicators. The process writing technique involves students in four recursive, overlapping stages in writing: rehearsing, drafting, responding, and revising. Students utilize this…

This paper describes the use of "buddy journals" to generate enthusiasm for writing, provide writing practice, and build friendships between two classes of middle school students with learning disabilities and cognitive impairments. The buddy journals were introduced to the students as a way to get to know someone better and perhaps make a friend.…

To analyze a student's conceptual changes, analyzing transcriptions of writing and verbal statements may not provide enough information. In a study of 25 sixth graders learning about matter and molecules, concept mapping of students' stated ideas was used to analyze the kinds of organizational changes the students made to use new science…

"Becoming Successful Problem Solvers" is a 12-episode video series designed for use with middle school students. The materials are intended to create new assessment tools for teachers, to develop instructional devices that are useful in promoting problem solving in middle school classrooms, and to promote classroom discourse about…

Comprising mostly succinct expository statements, guidelines, and charts, this presentation attacks many cultural and educational myths in the areas of the grading and grouping of students at the middle school level. It stresses the importance of understanding what intelligence and academic success really are, and suggests ways in which teachers…

This study examined schools which had successfully blended gifted education programs into middle school environments in order to provide outstanding services to gifted middle grades students, and sought to determine the factors that made this successful blending possible. Five sites were visited from a variety of settings and schools that used…

Research indicates that middle school students need a great amount of physical activity to remain alert, motivated and eager to learn. A study was conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Middle-Level Athletics Task Force to gather and evaluate information about athletic programs that are compatible with young adolescents' needs…

In the last five years, a growing number of large, urban school districts have moved to close what are termed "troubled" 6-8 middle schools and have opened K-8 schools in their place: Boston, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Newark, New Orleans, New York City, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia have been among the first to do…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) asks that states "restructure" schools that fail for six years running to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward full proficiency on the part of all students by the year 2014. Although restructuring efforts by most states have been modest, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2002, directed the School District…

The transition to middle school has been a frequent research topic in recent years. The findings have highlighted both the significant risk and opportunity for school counselor intervention in the transition. One particularly important component of the multifaceted transition is course placement. The importance and influence of mathematics and…

Now in its third edition, the "Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts"--sponsored by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English--offers an integrated perspective on the teaching of the English language arts and a comprehensive overview of research in the field. Prominent…