The current level of implementation of 18 basic middle school principles in the 147 Missouri schools that met the definition of middle schools is the focus of this study. Questionnaire responses were received from 101 of the schools' administrators. Mean scores, standard deviations, and mean percentages of the maximum possible scores yielded by…

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between suggested practices observed in ten randomly selected middle schools scoring in the lowest quartile, and ten randomly selected middle schools scoring in the highest quartile, on the student attitude section of the 1971 Michigan Assessment Test of Basic Skills, for Grade 7. The study…

The focus of this study is the current level of implementation of 18 basic middle school characteristics as perceived by principals of two groups of Ohio public schools, those organized by grades 6-8 and those organized by grades 5-8. Questionnaire responses were received from administrators of 166 of the 208 schools that met the definition of…

Studies have confirmed that middle school students must learn to do the following: think about the future; recognize their responsibility for educational planning; broaden their aspirations beyond the stereotypes of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic level; develop and maintain self-esteem; develop complexity; understand how school relates to…

Five American middle school students went to Japan for two weeks in 1983 as ambassadors for American art education. Art education in Japan is much more centralized than in America. In addition to school study, children are exposed to traditional arts like the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and ikebana. (CS)

The purpose of this publication is to help schools develop middle-level programs that reflect the Regents Policy Statement on Middle-Level Education and Schools with Middle-Level Grades. The document contains names and addresses of schools and individuals who are willing to help other schools implement the recommendations of the policy statement.…

This study examined the ways in which current practices described in the middle school literature on meeting the needs of diverse learners are reflected in the policies, beliefs, and instructional practices of administrators and teachers. A survey of 125 principals asked about school characteristics, school organization, principal beliefs,…

The Program for Disadvantaged Youth, funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, understood that the ultimate impact of the program on students would depend on the capacity of principals to take on new leadership roles and responsibilities. This report analyzes principals' perceptions of the variety of professional development opportunities in…

This collection of readings evolved in response to a need by educators and community groups for justification for various grade reorganization plans. While the compilation attempts to focus on a timely educational topic, it reflects varying attitudes toward change on the part of the individual contributors as well as their differences in regional…

This theme issue discusses the special needs of gifted students at the middle school level. It presents several articles, editorials, a California funding update, a program spotlight, an educator profile, a column on educational technology, and a book review. An article by Terry A. Thomas, titled "Middle School Madness," discusses middle schools'…

A profile of an effective teacher of Aboriginal Australian students was constructed based on research on the teaching of Aboriginal students. Using the profile as a framework, this paper reports on an ethnographic study of an effective teacher in action with Aboriginal students. The study consisted of semi-participative observation of a teacher of…

Middle school principals and teachers (n=714) responded to questions about inclusion, the degree of change needed, the importance of collaborative strategies for teaching, and concepts for inclusive education. Collaboration as an instructional strategy for included students was a high-priority item, but there were many points of disagreement. (SLD)

The Flow of Planning Process Model was used to investigate one science and two social studies middle school teachers' preplanning, interactive planning, and postplanning for six students with learning disabilities who were mainstreamed into their general education classes. Results suggest that content coverage, classroom/student management, and…

Since middle schools vary in their degree of implementation of middle school practices, this research was designed to compare the job satisfaction of middle school teachers with the degree of implementation of these practices. Six teachers from each of Colorado's 50 schools with the name "middle school" were randomly selected to serve as…

Seven brief articles by teachers in Foxfire's East Tennessee Teachers' Network discuss the developmentally appropriate application of Foxfire core practices in grades 4-8, and describe class problem-solving related to student behavior problems, community-based projects, changing student attitudes, and use of Foxfire-style projects with special…