Describes a middle school program that integrates history/social studies, language, and visual arts. Describes how the program links two different middle schools through electronic mail in their study of world cultures. Includes examples of student writing and descriptions of classroom activities. (CFR)

Maintains the Holocaust is part of the national history curriculum for all 11-14 year olds in England and Wales. Examines ethical and pedagogical issues involved in teaching the subject, concern about promoting antisemitism, freedom of speech, and the right of parents to withdraw their children from this part of the curriculum. (CFR)

Examined the situations in which a random sample of African-American middle school students are violent, the students' interpretations of these situations, the goals of their violent behavior, and how they justify the use of threats or force against others. Created recommendations for violence prevention implied by these research findings. (TJQ)

The goal of this action research project goal was to improve students' taking responsibility for their own learning. The targeted population consisted of 120 intermediate and middle school students in 5 classes from 2 middle-class communities in northern Illinois. The lack of student responsibility in the learning process was documented through…

Middle school students (N=712) were surveyed about their achievement goals and cognitive processing strategies. Results suggest that academically at-risk students use deep strategies less and are less learning focused than not at-risk and special education students. Special education and at-risk students tended to be more ability-focused than not…

"Teacher Education for America's Minorities" (TEAM) is a project of seven institutions of higher education in Florida. The project's goal has been to work within the teacher education systems at the seven institutions over a 6-year period (1990-1996). This paper addresses some of the issues and strategies related to barriers in the…

Drama and role playing are effective ways for teachers, school counselors, and other individuals who work with young people to teach and discuss sensitive issues. The eight plays in this publication are designed to help middle school students develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and logical decision-making skills. The eight scripts use a…

Extending over a 14-week period, this study examined the effects of a program designed to enhance the self-esteem of at-risk students by developing an internal locus of control in the students. The program consisted of six major components: (1) a specified vocabulary and format; (2) goal identification and description by students; (3) student…

This paper presents the results of a comparison of data from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) 4th (n=179) and 8th (n=143) grade student and teacher samples to the data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 4th and 8th grade student and teacher samples. This is part of a larger study of mathematics education in…

Project Accelerated Curriculum Classes Emphasizing Learning (ACCEL) was implemented by the Newark School District (New Jersey) in the 1989-90 school year in response to the ineffective practice of retaining underachieving students. The innovative approach of accelerated learning was made available to retained sixth and seventh grade students.…

This document reports the results of The Oregon Mathematics Teachers of Middle School (TOMTOMS) project focused on improving the curriculum and the teaching of mathematics in middle school in support of recent calls for mathematics education reform. Twenty seventh-grade teachers, representing the geographic regions in Oregon, were chosen from a…

Two graphic computer simulations have been prepared for teaching high school and middle school students about how business organizations and financial systems work: "Parkside," which simulates managing a hotel; and "Guestwear," which simulates managing a clothing manufacturer. Both simulations are based on six principles of…

Project REAL (Relationship skills, Education on violence prevention, Academics, Leadership and decision-making skills) was a practicum designed to increase the academic achievement of middle school students exposed to domestic violence. Eleven students and their parents participated in a 12-week interpersonal-cognitive counseling group and its…

The document contains the curriculum guides for Grades 4, 5, and 6 developed by Project CHANGE (Concepts of Handicaps and Attitudes Need Guidance and Education), a curriculum designed to improve children's attitudes toward the disabled. The curriculum for Grade 4 focuses on acceptance of self and others (handicapped and nonhandicapped), physiology…

The ten studies contained in this volume mark the third publication by the National Middle School Association of research on early adolescent education. The previous issues are ED 214 273 and ED 214 283. The papers in the 1981 edition represent a broad range of middle school research topics and methodologies. A number of studies in this volume…