Presents a two-day activity for middle school students, focusing on freedom of assembly and the difficult balance between individual rights and community needs to ensure safety. Stimulates discussion on the right to assemble using an American Bar Association poster (included in the issue). Suggests inviting a lawyer to class to further explore…

This paper examines the influence of community context on the attitudes of rural and nonrural adolescents toward their own future geographic and social mobility. Part of a national sample in a longitudinal study of career development, the 1,060 subjects were public school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 from 3 contrasting Illinois communities.…

This guide provides information about how middle schools can promote the development and education of adolescents, especially about how they can focus students' attention on career opportunities and training. It also offers families some ideas about how they can encourage their children's career awareness, and it presents some criteria for parents…

An action research project implemented a program for improving the reading skills of at-risk middle school students. The targeted population consisted of fifth- and seventh-grade students in a rural, middle class community located in northeastern Illinois. Evidence for the problem includes teacher observation, checklists, standardized tests, and…

Recent research on middle and senior high school students showed a reversal of previous decline in smoking marijuana and using drugs other than marijuana, a decline in students' personal disapproval of marijuana, and a high prevalence of alcohol use. Student reports of peer approval, availability, and use at school of alcohol, marijuana, and other…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between suspensions and expulsions of African American students, teacher effectiveness, and school safety in New Orleans (Louisiana) public schools. Preliminary evaluations for the 1995-96 school year are presented. The initial phase of data collection focused on focus group interviews…

This study examined how middle science teachers perceive the textbooks they use and how their perceptions varied with their personal attributes and professional backgrounds. A questionnaire was sent to 79 middle school science teachers in Missouri, and 66 responded. The questionnaire was designed to determine the teachers' perceptions about the…

The BRIDGES Project was initiated to explore ways for North Dakota to provide young people with stronger bridges from childhood to adulthood. This report summarizes recommendations of the 1990-91 Governor's Task Force on Early Adolescence. The recommendations concern practical actions for the building of bridges by the following groups: (1)…

This book is a guide to the development and use of performance tasks and rubrics in the middle school mathematics classroom. It contains a rationale for, and a discussion of strengths and limitations of, performance tasks to assess student achievement and progress in mathematics. A field-tested process is offered for developing performance tasks…

As more and more middle school students come to the classroom with no real, stable connections outside the school setting, it is increasingly important for educators to reach out to them in a variety of ways. This paper addresses that need by offering educators suggestions in the following five areas: (1) comprehending the unique characteristics…

This practicum report describes a 15-day in-room suspension strategy designed to reduce the increasing number of principal-initiated student suspensions resulting from inappropriate conduct. The program's distinguishing features entailed a central figure who predetermined the candidates by means of a pre-suspension interview, parental-student…

This report envisions Texas schools using one another as resources and the campus planning process as a vehicle for implementing research-based concepts and practices in the middle grades. Since Texas' restructuring effort will not succeed without commitment to staff development from all levels of the education community, the need for teacher and…

Reports a study that examined resilient and nonresilient urban middle school students' perceptions of their classroom learning environment. Data analysis revealed that resilient students had higher perceptions of involvement, task orientation, rule clarity, pacing, satisfaction, and feedback than nonresilient students did. Resilient students also…

This study evaluated the association between middle school students' perceived risk of fighting and actual fighting behavior, examining the effects of race, gender, and grade. Surveys indicated that perceived risk of fighting was high, and one in five students fought regularly. There were associations between race, gender, grade, and fighting. (SM)

Describes how one North Dakota middle school taught students self-management skills for active lifestyles. Students learned basic principles of activity through classroom activities and were encouraged to establish and maintain after-school activities. Heart rate monitors helped teach the concepts of physical activity as detailed on the Fitness…