This paper is one component of a collaborative research project being conducted by the National Commission for Employment Policy to explore the education, training, and employment issues that affect at-risk youth, aged 9-15 years old. The paper begins with a description of the dropout problem in the United States, noting that although the dropout…

Oregon's Parenthood Curriculum has been designed for use within the state's middle/junior high school home economics classrooms; its overall goal is to enable future parents to nurture their children, based on a practical reasoning process that helps students examine the underlying causes of practical problems and the implications of solutions for…

This booklet records a series of conference presentations and group discussions about a growing problem in the United States: the increasing number of young adolescents in the 10- to 15-year age range who do not have adult supervision after school. Participants identified current program initiatives, policy barriers to increasing and improving…

Teacher educators, teachers, parents, and principals participated in a 1983 seminar in Australia on early adolescents. A literature review on schooling for early adolescents was prepared as background reading for seminar participants. The opening address was given by Professor Colin Power, Flinders University of South Australia, who outlined the…

The Parent and Children Together (PACT) project, developed by the Arkansas Valley and High Plain Regional Library Services in Colorado, is aimed at promoting lifelong interest in reading among today's children. PACT services include: (1) sponsoring workshops that will train librarians and volunteers to plan and present parents' programs; (2)…

This collection of essays provides extensive background information and varied views on the history, philosophy, and curriculum of the middle school as a movement or as an educational design for pre- and early adolescents. After a brief prologue by editor John H. Lounsbury, 14 essays by separate authors are presented: "The Junior High School:…

Study of 11-year-old Swedish-speaking learners of English (N=21) reading two passages from an English fairytale for meaning found that the subjects mainly made use of two knowledge sources (their mother tongue and previous knowledge of the tale) to comprehend the tale. (Author/CB)

Based on longitudinal study of adolescents (ages 12 to 16), investigated the input of school experiences on central aspects of personality formation. Results show a weak relationship between the school's evaluative system and the pupils' self-evaluation: an isomorphism did not exist. Influences on self-concept formation considered. (Author/BB)

In a survey of 172 experienced intermediate/junior high teachers in southern Ontario, all agreed that teachers at this level need courses based on the characteristics and needs of early adolescents. The majority indicated that their preservice training lacked such courses and had not prepared them for intermediate/junior high teaching. (JHZ)

Students who are no longer children but not yet fully adolescent require an appropriate program to meet their specific education needs. The true middle school program can meet these needs. In an effort to provide usable and valuable guidelines for evaluation of existing school programs and for planning new ones, this booklet describes 14…

This year-long research project encourages student involvement, promotes a sense of mastery, involves the school community, and attempts to provide an incentive for senior Montessori students to continue learning. The curriculum describes the process of choosing a topic, researching, writing, editing, production of the final product, and the oral…

Students in middle grades have been neglected in education reform initiatives of the 1980s, yet outcomes for early adolescents have profound implications for society and the economy. Stressing the importance of higher order thinking and the dangers of risk-taking behaviors, this article urges increased middle grade intervention and reform. (AF)

Compared the daily experiences of preadolescents whose mothers were employed full-time, part-time, or not at all. Found little difference in quantity and quality of time associated with maternal employment. Full-time maternal employment was associated with more time doing homework with mothers and less time in general leisure; part-time…

Discusses the need to provide information on sexuality and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) to children and young adults and provides in-depth reviews of appropriate resource materials. Abstinence and sexual responsibility are discussed; school curriculum resources are described; and resources for teachers are reviewed. (LRW)

Describes objectives of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health multisite intervention study which develops behavioral school health education plans. It targets third through fifth graders, stressing cardiovascular health behaviors (e.g., eating habits, physical activity, and smoking). Curricula, school environmental change, and…