Asserts that the use of multiethnic adolescent literature can help teachers create meaningful learning opportunities to explore diverse perspectives. Recommends the use of thematic literature studies and provides a framework model. Includes four multidisciplinary cognitive maps and a bibliography. (CFR)

In 1988, the Jefferson County Public Schools, in Louisville (Kentucky), received an initial planning grant from the Program for Student Achievement of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation to focus on three "highs" in education--high content, high expectations, and high support. The school district chose three middle schools to participate…

Data on the implementation of state-mandated portfolio assessment guidelines were collected in a class of 25 fourth-grade students in a Kentucky urban school, using participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. The use of computers as word processors was found to facilitate students' ability to read their work aloud to their class,…

A middle school reform initiative, sponsored by the Program for Disadvantaged Youth of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation 4 years ago, has taken hold in 12 urban middle schools nationwide. The article discusses that reform, noting the lessons about change to accommodate student diversity that urban middle schools can teach. (SM)