A study analyzed current perceptions of selected school board members, superintendents, principals, counselors, teachers, preservice teachers, students, and parents, in three areas of Texas representing urban, suburban, and rural areas (N=190), toward topics related to discipline, classroom management, drugs, absenteeism, and behavioral…

In an attempt to correlate effective school practices with actual observed student achievement, a survey instrument concerning principal leadership and school climate was distributed to classroom teachers in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. Responses by more than half of the teachers yielded 1,294 usable questionnaires representing all 94 schools…

This study compares the administrative styles of principals of junior high schools with those of middle school principals. It also examines the school climates of these schools and analyzes the relationships between climate and administrative style. The population for the study consisted of 77 teachers from 19 middle schools and 69 teachers from…

This final report of Project OPTION (Opening People to Increasing Opportunities Now) is also a handbook including methods used in the project and suitable for replication. The first section outlines the design of the project, whose goals were to reduce the influence of sex-role stereotyping on students' career choices, increase awareness of…

Twnety-seven hypotheses relative to middle school operations were generated and tested through analyses of data gathered. Using various instruments data was obtained from: students, teachers, principals, and central administrative offices. Discussions and findings about the hypotheses are presented, and each is catalogued according to whether it…

This case study focuses on a team of middle school teachers in a two-way immersion bilingual education program. The report explores the following questions: How does the organizational structure of the middle school under study promote or impede professional networks among the teachers? What type of teaching-learning practices do these forces…

This study examines the underlying structure of the teacher language arts and science questionnaires from a project studying the impact of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). The dimensions of the questionnaire concerning practices and attitudes related to the MSPAP were studied, as well as the extent to which the on-grade…

This study explored the assumption that superior instruction can result from the supplementing of teachers' subject knowledge with a formal psychological understanding of learning styles and learner characteristics. Preservice language arts teachers (N=113) were asked to state what they thought would constitute appropriate responses to a middle…

This compiltation of articles provides ideas and solutions for creating and improving family, community, and school partnerships. A broad variety of topics are covered in the 20 articles of this issue, including: (1) ideas to help parents improve the thinking skill of their children; (2) four models of parent involvement developed by the Superior…

This book offers support for middle school teachers and suggestions on how they can help their students be more successful, both in the classroom and in life. Thirteen chapters cover being a teacher, the classroom, students and the challenges they face, communication, teaching, testing, working with parents, staff relations and job stress, public…

As part of the evaluative process of a program at a professional development site (PDS), 30 participating elementary and middle school teachers were surveyed about their attitudes as participants in a field-based education program partnership. Each teacher was mentor to a preservice teacher for a semester before student teaching, while 10…

At Mozart Elementary School, a predominantly Latino pre-kindergarten through grade 8 Professional Development School in Chicago that is linked with Northeastern Illinois University, the upper grades have been transformed in a way that has proven beneficial to the students and the university's teacher candidates. Frustrated with their inability to…

The Gifted Education Policy Studies Program was designed to address two issues: the status of state and local policies on the identification of gifted students from special populations (culturally diverse, children with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged); and the impact of educational reform movements (cooperative learning and middle…

The Special Education Division of the California State Department of Education funded six pilot programs as part of a state-legislated Awareness Program. The goal of the programs was to make nonhandicapped students in grades K-8 aware of the special problems encountered by disabled persons. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Awareness…

This study attempted to show that preparation for and use of an audiovideo dial-select information retrieval system in a new middle school could help to change the teacher's role from that of dispenser of information to guide in an independent learning situation. Because of unavoidable delays in the installation of the dial-select equipment, the…