This document contains two studies of California curriculum enhancement projects designed to develop academic partnerships between secondary and postsecondary institutions and improve the academic preparation of students. The first study provides a qualitative evaluation of 20 projects funded by the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP)…

A multicultural enrichment program involving fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms from forty-four District of Columbia public schools encourages students to learn about foreign countries by studying a foreign embassy. Chapter one presents background information and a description of the project. Chapters two and three concern evaluation. A description…

A multicultural enrichment program in which students from 123 fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms from the District of Columbia Public Schools learned about foreign countries by studying a foreign embassy, is evaluated. Chapter I outlines the main components of the program. Chapters II and III concern evaluation. A description of the Planning,…

A multicultural enrichment program in which selected fifth- and sixth-grade students from Washington, District of Columbia, public schools learned about other countries by studying a foreign embassy is evaluated. Chapter I outlines the main components of the program: joint educator-embassy planning, student research, student field visits and…

This article describes a jointly planned and jointly evaluated course offered through Washington State University General Extension. The purpose of the course was to improve instruction in elementary classrooms through use of competency-based training materials (Minicourses) from the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development.…

Teams are incompatible with the scientific management philosophy underlying traditional curricular and organizational theory. This article examines J. R. Hackman's book "Groups That Work (and Those That Don't): Creating Conditions for Effective Teamwork" (1990), as it illuminates the experience of teaching on a middle school…

In 1991, the Newark School District (New Jersey), through the partnership of the Newark Teachers' Union and Montclair State University, established the first professional development school (PDS) in the city. Used primarily as a center for retooling elementary grade teachers in grades 6, 7, and 8, the school has come to play a pivotal role in the…

A Colorado school district collaborated with local university personnel to plan, implement, and evaluate a staff development program addressing instructional improvement. The project trained upper elementary and junior high teachers in content area reading instruction and provided follow-up coaching as they implemented the new strategies. (SM)

The project described in this article, the Middle Grades Project, is based on a collaborative partnership between a university school of education and three middle grades schools. The project reflects a shift in the conceptual perspective of middle grades schooling. The three-step school improvement plan,…

Summarizes results of 1990-91 study of pilot program (SHAPE) using a multiagency approach to provide individualized support services to at-risk middle-school students. Presents detailed case analyses of three selected students representing three target groups. Students having difficulty adjusting to school demands resulting from moderate family…

The Wayne State University Public School (UPS), Detroit (Michigan), a university-operated charter middle school, is strongly influenced by the educational reform movement. The evolution of UPS is documented as a case study of educational reform in the 1990s, focusing on the 1994-95 school year. The school is in an urban area marked by poverty and…

The Baltimore School and Family Connections Project is a collaborative effort to design comprehensive partnership programs and evaluate their results. This case study explores one school's efforts to involve middle-grades students and their families in learning activities at home during the summer break. Marginal students who worked on the home…

This report describes Project CREEK (Community Resources Through Environmental Education for Kids), a collaborative 3-year project between the University of California at Davis, the University of Maryland, and a large, rural K-5 elementary school in central California, and a sister site near Baltimore. Specifically, this report examines changes in…

This paper discusses the principles and describes the planning and development of a student teaching program model for Northeastern Illinois University students. The program is in its fourth year and was collaboratively designed by faculty from the university and a local middle school. The model is based on the importance of communication,…

Describes success of an academic booster club as a rural middle school strategy to improve student test scores, attendance, grades, community perceptions of the school, and student behavior. Notes how during two years the club raised over $20,000 and fostered improvements in average daily attendance, achievement test scores, honor roll…