As a result of the pressures of educational reform and high-stakes assessment, some schools run the risk of foregoing active, student-centered learning activities for building test-taking skills and the memorization of discrete facts (Gredler, 1999; Jackson & Davis, 2000). Coupled with the additional pressure to fulfill the expectations of…

For over a decade, University of Florida researchers worked with middle schools in a large urban and suburban south Florida district, as they developed and then worked to sustain inclusive reform. One middle school, Socrates, was notably successful, having built its inclusion model on a foundation of previous reform and a school culture…

The authors interviewed 27 teachers (16 African American and 11 European American) on instructional factors contributing to overidentification of behavior problems in African American boys. Interviews focused on teachers' perspectives of effective teachers, teacher-student relationships, and communication styles. Analysis of the interviews showed…

This paper describes and interprets the case of a middle school's first year of using interdisciplinary teacher teams as a key among several restructuring moves. It describes: (1) characteristics of the teaming process--leadership, decision making, professional growth and support of individual teachers, and cooperation, competition, and conflict…

This study sought to examine strategies of teams of teachers who have established their own discipline plans and compare them to teams of teachers who have not developed discipline plans. It is based on interviews with 28 team leaders from 5 middle schools in northwest Georgia, 9 of whom indicated that they had organized, written discipline plans…

A study asked 287 industrial technology education (ITE) teachers in Nebraska to identify what equipment was being used by ITE students. It also compared ITE equipment usage with regard to school type and school size. The response rate was 59.2 percent (n=170). Findings indicated the drill press and band saw were the most widely used pieces of…

Data were gathered from 221 middle and junior high school teachers in 4 states (Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania) and in schools located in 4 socioeconomic categories (urban, urban/inner city, suburban, rural). The teachers were surveyed to determine their attitudes about changing demographics of their pupils, knowledge of cultural…

This study investigated the effect of teacher involvement in the development of calculator mathematics curriculum on the implementation of calculators in the classroom. Forty-five middle school mathematics teachers served as subjects. Findings revealed that teachers involved in curriculum development were observed significantly more often than…

The status of middle and junior high school agricultural education and Future Farmers of America (FFA) programs in the United States was the focus of a study. Data were collected through a census of the FFA executive secretaries and a survey of a purposive sample of 27 successful middle or junior high school agricultural education programs in 9…

A study was conducted concerning the reduced and limited curricula which tests may represent. Observations were made at 18 different elementary and middle school classrooms in four school districts in central Pennsylvania during the language arts instructional period. All of the teachers were involved in promoting a holistic approach to literacy.…

This study investigated the problem of teacher thinking in interactive class teaching situations. A sample of 21 elementary and middle school teachers in Spain was studied through a multi-method triangulation involving observation, interviews, and daily journals. Verbal protocol from different sources led to the identification of 510 elements that…

Findings from indepth studies of discipline policies in three middle schools are summarized. Although all the schools were in a single urban district, significant differences were identified among them. The written policies of each school varied in the elaboration and emphasis of various themes in district policy, and the schools varied in the…

The development and use of a format for the self-evaluation of middle schools by local school districts is presented. Included are topical areas of study and procedures which result in increased staff development, community and school communication, a data base for continuing use by the school district and for comparative and research analysis by…

Research has shown that secondary school teachers are generally unable to rank text passages accurately according to their reading difficulty. To determine if this was true of elementary and middle school personnel, 177 teachers, administrators, and supervisors attending a summer reading workshop were asked to rank order each of five 100-word…

Describes the implementation of a content area writing program in a middle school. Observes that many teachers were resistant to the task and passed their frustration on to the English teachers. However, most were pleased with the improvement in students' writing due to the increase in the amount of required writing. (SRT)