The development of education to improve poverty in the region has become an essential direction of the world's poverty alleviation work. In the poverty alleviation by education work in China, educators who are on the front line of poverty are determined by education and nurturing their wisdom, leading countless children from families out of…

This qualitative case study analyzed how one interdisciplinary team within a large middle school fostered a responsive adolescent-centered community for eighth-grade team students. Data were collected during the spring semester of the 2009 school year via observations, individual interviews, and focus group interviews with nine participants,…

Jennifer's first years as a middle school principal occurred during a time of transformation initiated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and further intensified by demographic changes within her Midwest suburban district of 25,000 students. In the context of national educational reform during this time period, Tom Erb asked, "Who will…

Evidence suggests that a middle school organizational design has some administrative advantages over the traditional junior high school program because of the more unified social and academic atmosphere. (LH)

Profiles Ann Blakeney Clark, dynamic North Carolina middle school principal who knows her 750 students by name, insists on individualized education plans, carefully matches students with appropriate teachers. Clark's walk-around management style allows her to catch students and teachers in act of doing things right. Having instituted team teaching…

Analyzes four middle schools' experiences with interdisciplinary teams. Although teaming is often considered a vehicle for developing community in schools, it may also present tensions for developing cohesiveness across teams. Too little time may be devoted to discussing important whole-school issues. The demands of teacher empowerment within the…

This study analyzed the opinions of exemplary middle school principals concerning what constitutes highly effective interdisciplinary teams. The schools that the principals represented were chosen according to the Department of Education's, Phi Delta Kappa's, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's assessment of threshold…

Describes implementation of interdisciplinary middle school environmental science curriculum units and factors associated with successful implementation. Notes that strong principal support; structural components such as the teachers having students in common and a common planning time; a strong, intact team; and time for concentrated curriculum…

Examines how interdisciplinary teaching teams were used in a midwestern middle school to produce a nontraditional work environment. Describes the following features of this environment: (1) interdisciplinary organization; (2) shared leadership; (3) focus on children; (4) principal's influence; and (5) integrated programing of children. (JS)

A brief history of East Ridge Middle School in Connecticut illustrates the strong economic and demographic pressures that can work against a middle school. The principal plays a crucial role in preserving both the structure and the programs of an effective middle school. Points out strategies to protect and develop middle schools in tough economic…

The emerging middle school movement throughout the United States today is in part an effort to rediscover, redefine, revamp, and reintroduce the basic pedagogical principles of adolescent learning upon which the junior high school was established almost seventy years ago. Proponents of the middle school support the rationale that children 10 to 14…

Describes the founding of Washington, D.C.'s Brookland School, a preschool-to-grade-eight facility that embodies the middle school philosophy. (Author/JM)

In searching for avenues to create a collaborative school environment in which autonomous teachers impact the outcomes of schooling and students become independent learners, there is increasing interest in "self-managing work groups." This paper presents findings of a study that examined the role of the principal in the development of…

Discusses the pivotal role of the middle school principal in the success of collaborative teaching teams. Details team functions, selection, and stages of team development. Also discusses team meetings, reports, leader meetings, team competition, and team professional growth. (ET)

Examined types of work completed by teachers on middle school interdisciplinary teams nationwide. Data from a sample of 159 teachers on 40 teams and their 40 principals indicated no significant differences between teachers' and administrators' perceptions on degree of teacher participation but revealed significant differences within 10 measured…