Fostering Opportunities is an innovative student engagement program for middle school and high school students who have experienced foster care. The goal of the program is to help youth who have experienced foster care be successful in school and ultimately earn a high school credential. Fostering Opportunities was developed because of the clear…

It is essential for middle school leaders to develop and promote school-wide literacy models, organizational structures that have a significant impact on the learning environment for all students in their building. However, school-wide literacy models can be difficult to implement and sustain over time. Drawing from an Office of Special Education…

The purpose of this guide is to provide information on how to use early warning data, including the Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS), to identify, diagnose, support and monitor students in grades 1-12. It offers educators an overview of EWIS and how to effectively use these data in conjunction with local data by following a…

While literacy interventions can be implemented in any grade, focusing on interventions in grades 3-8 is critical because it is often the best chance for students identified with earlier reading deficiencies to become ready for the literacy demands of postsecondary education and careers. States in both the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL)…

This monograph provides rationale, examples, and specific guidelines for initiating advisor-advisee programs in the middle school. Part 1 discusses why affective education is needed in the middle school, and promotes the need for qualitative properties of education to exist along side the quantitative. Part 2 describes six on-going programs of…

This sourcebook of over 100 Texas middle-school programs was developed to help educators implement intermediate-grade education concepts and practices in their schools. The volume is a companion publication to "Spotlight on the Middle: Report of the Texas Task Force on Middle School Education." The introduction mentions two offices in…

Only a full scale effort will make multicultural education a success at the middle school level. Multicultural education programs must be integrated into all levels of the school day, from curriculum and instructional materials through all the components of the middle school experience. Chapter 1 looks at the country's increasing cultural…

This pamphlet discusses the benefits of using the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) for providing numerous enrichment and acceleration alternatives that are designed to accommodate the academic strengths, interests, and learning styles of all middle school students, including gifted students. It explains the different components of SEM including…

Examines the implementation of an alternating day schedule in middle school. It is suggested that block scheduling provides an effective instructional alternative to the traditional six- or seven-period format, creating a relaxed atmosphere while decreasing stress and improving attitudes of both students and teachers. Blocks provide a gradual…

This handbook provides information about an innovative model, Partners for Valued Youth (PVY), that encourages "at-risk" students to stay in school and to set broader goals for themselves through a cross-age tutoring experience in which at-risk middle school students tutor younger, elementary school students. After a preface, the…

The Louisiana Literacy Plan is designed to address the learning needs of all students in grades PK-Adult Education in order to improve the literacy rates of students in the state, thereby developing a more literate and capable citizenry for the future. Connecting this plan to the No Child Left Behind Act, Louisiana seeks to close the achievement…

This paper describes the use of "buddy journals" to generate enthusiasm for writing, provide writing practice, and build friendships between two classes of middle school students with learning disabilities and cognitive impairments. The buddy journals were introduced to the students as a way to get to know someone better and perhaps make a friend.…

This manual is designed for persons who are responsible for implementing career-mentoring programs, especially for middle and junior high school girls, emphasizing nontraditional, high-wage occupations. Such a program is recommended by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act as a connecting activity. The manual is organized in two sections plus…

This manual has been developed to assist mentors in working with mentees in a career mentoring program. The manual is divided into four sections. The first section provides information on how to be an effective career mentor. It suggests strategies to make the time mentors spend with mentees meaningful. The second section provides information on…

This document, which was developed with input from 14 Illinois middle schools, is a comprehensive guide to planning and implementing career development activities in middle schools. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) background information (the rationale for and importance of career development; young adolescents' interests and…