The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide school district leaders and policymakers information of the impact grade configuration had on academic performance using math and ELA ILEARN scores over a three-year period. The study included data from 585 schools that were classified into four groups: Elementary Setting, Intermediate Setting,…

Due to low achievement among minorities and English Language Learners, a blue-ribbon panel was convened by NCATE to address the issue. It was determined that a transformation of teacher preparation was imperative. Out of this idea arose the clinical model for teacher preparation, which was deemed to be the important factor in preparing college…

This case study followed the implementation of the co-principal leadership model in a K-8 school district for three years. A district superintendent implemented the co-principal model to (1) resolve issues around merging existing schools with well-established principals; (2) provide leadership stability and succession planning; and (3) serve as a…

Schools across the nation are facing the challenge of addressing behavioral issues with students. Traditional approaches to discipline have been ineffective in improving student behavior. The passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 and revisions of the Individual Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 require schools…

Tens of thousands of students begin each new school year with the hope that they will finally find "the" teacher who will help them succeed as readers, writers, and learners. This book shows how teachers can provide the type of differentiated instruction that struggling readers need by drawing on students' individual and cultural backgrounds, as…

The transition from elementary school to middle school brings apprehension to both students and their parents. At one school, parents and teachers worked together to improve the transition process with visits to the middle school, an information packet, orientation programs, and a teacher-made video. (MLF)

This document presents findings of a study that tracked the development of a shared decision-making project in a Florida county school system since its inception in 1989. The impetus for the Shared Decision-Making Project came not from school stakeholders, but from the interplay of national reports, regional problems, state legislation, and local…

This study examined how 14 Hispanic adolescents either with or without learning disabilities fared academically and socially during the transition from elementary to middle school. Students had been in a sixth grade consultation/collaboration inclusive classroom. Findings suggested that both groups of students experienced the transition similarly…

THIS DOCUMENT LISTS FIVE BOOKS, ONE BIBLIOGRAPHY, 35 JOURNAL ARTICLES, AND 21 REPORTS ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. (HM)

Field observations of and interviews with 13 low-skilled 6th graders in physical education indicated that they all exhibited symptoms of learned helplessness. Students had knowledge of being low-skilled, and they experienced teachers communicating low expectations to them. Students were unwilling to expend effort to learn skills, so they were…

In July 1986, the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools began a 3-year study of the use of evaluative data in instructional planning and decision making in schools. This report summarizes the second year of the investigation, in which case studies of evaluative data use were conducted in one elementary school (kindergarten through grade 5) and one…

This paper focuses on the role of the school leader as motivator. In particular, attention is given to what those in school leadership roles can do to enhance the personal investment of students in learning. A conceptual model is outlined which suggests that school leaders affect not only the degree, but also the quality of student motivation by…

There are several reasons why appraisals of school sites are necessary--the reasons run the range from the importance of performing a postoccupancy review to examining the need for new facilities. This guide helps educators and community leaders, as well as technical experts in school facilities, to complete the process of school facility…

The purpose of this study was to assess both the needs of students in transition from elementary to middle school and the extent to which those needs were being met. A questionnaire was used to obtain the perceptions of 117 sixth-grade students, 64 parents of sixth-grade students, 37 parents of fifth-grade students, nine sixth-grade teachers, and…

This paper examines the relationship between a school's grade configuration and student performance in Louisiana. Student performance was measured by academic achievement (standardized test scores) and student persistence (attendance, suspensions, expulsions, and dropouts). Elementary schools, middle schools, secondary schools, and combination…