Although reports calling for middle level schooling reform first appeared in the mid-1970s, change has been slow to come. In Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century (1989), the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development outlined eight essential elements of middle level education. Drawing from the Carnegie Council's…

Following several years of negative trends in achievement and attendance in the middle grades, the Cleveland Municipal School District began phasing out middle schools by restructuring 21 of its 80 K-5 elementary schools into K-8 schools. This study examined Cleveland's restructuring initiative in light of 2 theories on early adolescent…

Turning Points helps middle schools create challenging, caring, and equitable learning communities that meet the needs of young adolescents as they reach the "turning point" between childhood and adulthood. Based on more than a decade of research and experience, this comprehensive school reform model focuses on improving student learning through…