A study of 97 spelling competition finalists in grades 4-8 and their parents found that the students used dictionaries, science-related texts, and word lists to prepare. The students were intrinsically motivated and had a repertoire of spelling strategies which they used singly or in concert to maximize likely spellings of words. (JDD)

Summarizes findings of several major middle schools reports, highlighting the National Middle School Association's publication "This We Believe" (1982), NASSP's "An Agenda for Excellence at the Middle Level" (1985), the California State Department of Education's "Caught in the Middle" (1987), and the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development's…

This study, targeting grades four through eight, evaluates New York City's options for incorporating educational technology into classrooms within existing school facilities. The study reports on: (1) what physical configurations of educational technology can best accommodate different and evolving methods of integrating computers into the…

The California agenda for middle-grade reform is based on 10 regional networks, each composed of 1 foundation school and approximately 10 partnership schools. An interim evaluation of the reform effort, which occurred from 1988-90, is presented in this executive summary of two annual reports, "Technical Report 1" and "Technical…

The effectiveness of a modeling technique on the acquisition of long division was demonstrated with eight middle school learning-disabled students. The intervention included demonstration, imitation, and key guide words. (Author/DB)

An effective middle level adviser/advisee program requires that students and teachers work together outside their normal content-specific relationship. Teaching study skills allows teachers to blend their traditional role with the novel adviser role. Tips are provided concerning study skill components, including text reading, note taking, mapping,…

In 1996 the National Science Foundation undertook a review of comprehensive curriculum projects in middle school science. The purpose of this document is to highlight the framework for the review developed to examine the middle school materials and the results of the panel's findings. Findings indicate that 13 of the 19 projects examined had panel…

In 1979, the Saginaw (MI) Township Community Schools contracted with the Evaluation Research Center of the University of Virginia to evaluate its Middle School Enrichment Center for gifted and talented students in grades 5-8. This meta evaluation assesses the extent to which that evaluation was technically adequate in revealing the merit of the…

The California agenda for middle-grade reform is based on 10 regional networks, each composed of 1 foundation school and approximately 10 partnership schools. The second in a series of program evaluations, Technical Report 2 presents regional level information on the first 2 years of implementation of the middle-grade reform proposals, 1988-89 and…

Investigates possible gender bias in the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) in relation to reading skills. Administers the SIT and the Diagnostic Reading Scales (DRS) to 66 subjects age 8.5 to 13.5 years. Indicates the SIT was a statistically significant predictor of DRS subtests that assess oral reading, silent reading, and listening comprehension.…

Construction, field testing with children with disabilities, and analysis of the preliminary version of the Preadolescent Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (PA-HOME) are described. The paper concludes that the assessment is a reasonably reliable scale with moderate correlations with other measures of the family environment.…

Middle school transition brings with it considerable change for those involved. Using corporate and industrial management theories and practices presents a rationale for wholesale and comprehensive educational change. (six references) (MLF)

It is impossible to change from a discipline policy of constraint to one of consent and engagement if students lack a legitimate voice in school governance. In middle schools, the "Dream Team" approach can employ sociograms to identify the most broadly respected and most socially isolated students. A student-centered pedagogy enhances…

This report analyzes the experiences of 27 states selected to participate in Carnegie Corporation of New York's Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative (MGSSPI), a 3-year grant program to states to stimulate fundamental reform in schools serving 10- to 15-year old students. MGSSPI states are working to radically transform the education…

Many positive articles have appeared recently concerning the School Health Curriculum Project (SHCP), also known as the Berkeley Project. This article evaluates SHCP as a health education curriculum, something other articles did not do. (JMK)