This study began with a thorough review of the literature on the professional development school (PDS) and developed a conceptual framework underlying the rhetoric for the PDS movement. It then constructed, by employing a case study approach, the school-based PDS faculty's vision on preservice teacher education in the PDS context and the…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards" recommends that mathematical connections be made between mathematics and other disciplines. This book presents 35 activities for middle school students that integrate the teaching of mathematical concepts with environmental concepts. An…

This curriculum, directed primarily to students in grades seven and eight, is a five-week sexuality education program designed to promote sexual abstinence as the best decision young people can make for themselves. The guide is divided into three general areas of emphasis. These sections are divided into six units that focus the content of the…

This proposal describes the organization and implementation of a "World Steel Drum Ensemble" as a strategy to solve the problems of low minority academic achievement, high minority discipline incidents, and minority isolationism. The drum ensemble studied and performed music from Caribbean, Hispanic, and African heritages in a middle…

Suitable for use in middle school classes, this interdisciplinary resource book on the culture of Appalachia is divided into 15 units. Topics covered are: stereotyping, values, geography, coal, people, family, housing, biographies, literature, music, crafts, dance, religion, wisdom, and change. Through a variety of learning activities and…

Intended for use as a resource in the planning and delivery of career education, this guide contains instructional activities for grades 6, 7, and 8. Materials are divided into the three grade levels. Each section begins with a listing of career education objectives and behaviors. Learning activities are provided that correspond to the behaviors…

The transition from industrial arts to technology education is a priority in Colorado. Millions of dollars have been and will be spent to renovate industrial arts facilities and laboratories. Four Colorado middle schools have exemplary technology education programs. The Eagle Crest Technology Education Laboratory is used for both middle and high…

The progress of sixth-graders in elementary and middle schools was compared in terms of achievement test scores, attendance, discipline, and grade point average. Three groups of sixth-graders from the Austin schools were examined: (1) 1987-88 sixth-graders for 3 years (grades 6, 7, and 8); (2) 1988-89 sixth-graders for 2 years (grades 6 and 7);…

Selected papers from the conference on the future of second language teaching include: "Reasons for Shame, Reasons for Pride: Foreign Languages and Democracy in America" (Mary Hatwood Futrell); "Present's Tense but Future's Perfect: A Twenty-First Century Case for Foreign Language" (Alan Garfinkel, Holly Schrank);…

Developed to help students of grades five through eight attain an understanding of the natural environment, this booklet provides investigations which focus on humanity's relationship with the environment. While some of the experiments are adaptable to the classroom, many of the activities are more appropriately implemented out-of-doors on the…

A critical ingredient for understanding the experiences that students undergo in the transition from elementary school to junior high school is the students' changing perceptions. The Ecological Perspectives for Successful Schooling Practice Junior High School Transition Study tapped the perceptions of students in transition using data from two…

This report presents the results of a New Jersey school district field test of a comprehensive administrator training program. The program's main objectives were to develop a knowledge-utilization approach to the improvement of instruction and student achievement in basic skills, and to develop and test strategies for installing and disseminating…

Written in response to requests from local school districts in New York State, this document provides information about the middle grades (grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) and the changing nature of students in these grades. The first section reports results of studies on this difficult developmental period that were conducted by three New York school…

This report describes an exemplary Oregon middle school that incorporates a comprehensive program of academic instruction and activity, a community of dedicated staff and involved students, and an orderly environment marked by a businesslike approach to teaching and learning. Outstanding components of Philomath Middle School's climate for learning…

The purpose of this booklet is to articulate the student outcomes expected for children at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. This document seeks to reflect the major themes of science education. These common curriculum goals have been developed not to detail separate facts of science needed to be taught by every science program, but to detail a…