This newsletter focuses on strategies middle grades schools are using to prepare more students for success in high school. This is part of a series of newsletters describing best practices for implementing the HSTW, MMGW and TCTW (High Schools That Work, Making Middle Grades Work, Technology Centers That Work) school improvement models. The series…

This publication replaces the "Guidelines for Middle Schools in Virginia," which were published in 1978-79. The document describes desirable educational practices for early adolescents. It applies to grades 6, 7, and 8 in all Virginia schools, and contains 22 specific recommendations for implementation. Sections describe the…

In Senate Joint Resolution No. 117, Virginia's General Assembly endorsed the process for restructuring education in the middle school grades and requested that the Board of Education determine the appropriateness of designating the middle school as a separate level in the educational structure. The study summarized in this report first considered…

Gifted students represent an under-served population in the education system, especially at the middle school level. These students require special attention in regard to their social and emotional needs. The first section of this paper explores the literature pertaining to the education of gifted middle school students and the definition and role…

Teachers viewed discipline as a serious problem because it directly affects the learning process. The teachers also felt that there was no one cause of discipline problems but many complex causes. Many teachers felt that some of the problems stemmed from lack of parental supervision. (Author/RM)

To create genuine teaching/learning environments, educators must use "pragmatic idealism" to balance disparate educational elements. A newly transformed Virginia middle school welcomes students at school entrances, has eliminated bells and tracking, uses a team teaching approach, holds numerous award assemblies, and incorporates plenty…

This curriculum guide, which is intended for middle school agriculture teachers in Virginia, outlines a three-course competency-based agriscience program to give middle school students an understanding of basic science concepts through agriculture. The guide begins with a program description that includes descriptions of the program's three…

Educators and policymakers are beginning to realize that students aged 10 through 14 are not well served by the "miniature high school" atmosphere of the typical junior high school, where the primary emphasis is placed on academic achievement in departmentalized course offerings. A program that is student-centered and that better…

Describes the development, implementation, and field testing of Virginia's three-year Clusters Approach to Career Orientation (CACO) Project designed to generate an activity-based, across-the-board curriculum for pre-exploratory students relating to appropriateness in occupational choice. (TA)

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to assist seventh-grade students in exploring science as…

Designed to supplement the Agriscience Education for the Middle School curriculum guide, this instructional packet provides lessons to enable agriscience teachers to bring basic science concepts into the classroom through practical, hands-on activities and experiments. The course is designed to develop in sixth-grade students an awareness of the…

This unit explores Virginia society between 1640 and 1680. By examining copies of original documents, students study the causes of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. Although the rebellion was a failure, understanding the reasons for the conflict gives insight into colonial Virginia. Students learn that Virginia was initially a predominantly male society…

Recruitment attitudes and behaviors of home economics teachers were studied. Findings indicate that greater emphasis in preservice teacher education should be placed upon recruitment techniques, home economics career education should be taught at the middle school/junior high level, and college-university home economics faculty should speak to…

Designed for a 90- or l80-day middle/junior high school career orientation course, this teacher's guide and the accompanying student activity manual focus on how personal needs can be met in the career world. Course goals listed are as follows: (1) to increase understanding of self by helping students analyze personal interests, abilities, values,…

Designed for a 90- or l80-day middle/junior high school career orientation course, this student activity book and the accompanying teacher's guide focus on how personal needs can be met in the career world. Course goals listed are as follows: (1) to increase understanding of self by helping students analyze personal interests, abilities, values,…