Focusing on the ethnic identity and achievement motivation of adolescents, this book reports on a study of Mexican-origin and Anglo American adolescents and sets it in sociopolitical, theoretical, ethnohistorical, and demographic contexts. The opening chapters examine public malaise over immigration and ethnic diversification in the United States…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a second language program in seven schools in a medium-sized school district in central California during the 1994-95 school year. Three educational levels (elementary, middle, and high school) were examined from the perspectives of teachers (n=194), administrators (n=23), instructional aides (n=40),…

This textbook introduces teachers to the world of social studies teaching and learning in elementary and middle schools. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1, "Orientation to Social Studies Education," consists of sections (1) "Social Studies Education: What and Why?" and (2) "The Children We Teach." Part 2, "The Social Studies…

A social skills training program for improving student behavior in art and music classes and in unstructured situations was developed and implemented during the second quarter of the 1993-1994 school year in two schools in Elgin, Illinois. The targeted classes included grades six through eight at St. Laurence School (part of the Rockford Catholic…

Middle school students are failing to connect what is learned in computer classes to other subject areas of the school's curriculum. Teachers, who often lack basic computer knowledge, are not encouraging computer use, and a lack of computer accessibility and appropriate software compound the problem. A practicum was designed to: (1) move the…

This user's guide presents an interdisciplinary teaching approach for middle school instruction in the area of African-American history. It emphasizes the importance of cultural diversity and the need for tolerance to allow students to see racial harmony as a step to global peace. The guide is divided into four sections that encompass…

This instructional guide offers classroom lesson plans that can be used by teachers or police officers with a videotape to present a "Junior Police Academy" (JPA) program for middle school students. The guide also contains lesson plans and student activities to be used independently of the videotape. Following a description of the goals…

This student textbook and accompanying teacher supplement strive to provide objective instruction in global environmental issues. Twenty-six study units present facts, opinions, and consequences of environmental issues, as well as responses which have been, and could be, made to the environmental issues. Each unit is introduced by a newspaper…

This monograph reports on a survey of middle level teacher preparation, based on the 1992 "Windows of Opportunity" study and on a modified Delphi process which identified a pool comprised of members of the Center for Early Adolescence and others. These educators were asked to rate the 33 recommendations from the "Windows of…

This report presents results from a National Coalition of Advocates for Students' (NCAS) study (Looking for America) of intergroup relations between immigrant and U.S. born students in public schools and the organization's collaboration with selected schools to improve those relationships. The report reveals school practices designed to improve…

Based on visits to 11 schools in 6 urban areas across the country, this article describes the perspectives and behavioral responses of school staff to "reaching out" policies that lead schools to form partnerships with parents and community organizations for the purpose of enhancing children's development and academic achievement. All of…

This research project analyzed results of data collection from surveys of and interviews with a population of underrepresented groups at three Canadian university sites: Windsor, London, and Thunder Bay (Ontario). The project designed a program for transition from secondary and/or undergraduate university level education or concurrent or…

The 1989 document, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" provides a vision and a framework for revising and strengthening the K-12 mathematics curriculum in North American schools and for evaluating both the mathematics curriculum and students' progress. The document not only addresses what mathematics students…

This guide provides descriptions of the social studies courses that are offered in Florida schools for students in grades six through eight. Specifically, the guide presents broad guidelines for course content and outcomes and is intended to assist educators in developing specific instructional plans for given subject areas. The guide is designed…

This report presents a description and evaluation of the MacMagic Program, a computer-facilitated core program in language arts and social studies in its fourth year of operation at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, California. The program consists of two sixth- and two seventh-grade classrooms that use computers and cooperative learning…