This booklet describes how eight European countries structure educational provision for children in the middle years of schooling, ages 10 through 14. The booklet discusses the status of middle years education, the tracking of students, equal opportunities for minorities, specialization of teachers and counselors, academic versus holistic education, and the school as a community of learning in the context of developments in several European countries and in the United states. Individual sections on the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Italy, and The Netherlands describe the structure of middle years schooling, curriculum, teaching, guidance, transition, school administration, and contact with families. A separate section on developments in Germany and Switzerland focuses on middle years education in general in these two countries and specifically on the systems in place in the German state of Saxony and the Swiss canton of Valais. (MDM)