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…

In professional development schools (PDSs), personnel from two different cultures come together to form a new, hybrid culture. Sharing the same goals and parity among the participating professionals produce authentic collaboration and are essential aspects of this culture. When parity and sharing are absent, collaboration between schools and…

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…

This paper looks at trends toward more inclusive education for students with disabilities in Sweden in the context of budgetary cut-backs in school resources. It reports on a project that investigated processes of defining target populations for special education in Swedish schools. Special educators (N=27), classroom teachers (N=35) and…

The Classroom Organization and Management Program (COMP) addresses a vital need for schools, faculties, and students. The program's purpose is to meet the needs of both beginning and experienced teachers for more professional development and inservice training in classroom behavior and instructional management. COMP promotes classroom management…

Standardized testing for large-scale assessment in Mississippi has changed to include both selected-response and performance-based formats for the past 3 academic years. The purpose of this followup study was to examine the perceptions of practicing teachers who belonged to a professional reading organization in the state with regard to this new…

This fourth edition of the "Mini-Digest of Education Statistics" provides a pocket-sized compilation of statistical information about American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The "Mini-Digest" is an easy reference for materials found in greater detail in the "Digest of Education…

This study examined the issue of gender equity among middle school students. Literature of the past 20 years was reviewed, showing that bias in schools still exists. The purposes of the study were to determine if changes in attitudes and behaviors have occurred as a result of gender equitable treatment and to ascertain if exposure to inequitable…

The Center for Applied Linguistics and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction conducted a 3-year teacher training project that aimed to improve the training of elementary school foreign language teachers at institutions of higher education. The components of the training model were based on the principle that, in order to be…

This report examines the biography, elementary school social studies teaching goals, and specific U.S. history-social studies goals and curriculum mediation practices of one fifth-grade teacher, Ramona Palmer. Daily lessons and classroom teacher-student interactions are described in detail as Palmer moved through a 6-week unit on the American…

This report examines the biography, elementary school social studies teaching goals, and specific U.S. history-social studies goals and curriculum mediation practices of one fifth-grade teacher, Sara Atkinson. Daily lessons and classroom teacher-student interactions are described in detail as Atkinson moved through a 6-week unit on the American…

Given the restructuring of curriculum and instruction and the changing state of assessment in Virginia and nationally, a study group of 22 Virginia teachers from elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools throughout the state chose to examine and revise their assessment practices. They wanted to reflect changes in thinking and practice…

The National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) has been laying the groundwork to explore fundamental questions of the implementation of alternative assessment. The CRESST has been working collaboratively with school practitioners to help them implement performance assessment strategies so that the CRESST…

This study investigated self-esteem factors related to the transition between sixth and seventh grade for students in teamed and nonteamed instructional organization. Two elementary schools of identical structure, facilities, number of faculty, and student characteristics serve as feeder schools to the junior high school. Site 1's sixth grade uses…

This study describes characteristics of reflective practical teaching, interprets the value of intellectualizing teaching by teachers, and summarizes a successful teaching/learning research process in the context of a large urban school in Spain. Data were gathered through review of curriculum documents and observations, interviews, and written…