Summarizes a survey of 300 middle school principals about their characteristics and their views about the important components of middle schools. (JM)

Staff development is the key to middle school effectiveness, and this article lists characteristics of an effective staff development program, examples of activities and topics, and questions for program evaluation. (DCS)

Reports findings of a study that analyzed five middle school teacher team meetings using a coding system adapted from Flanders' work on classroom interaction. Concludes that the procedure can provide administrators with a valuable tool for validating perceptions or describing aspects of school climate. (FL)

Describes National History Day, a year-long program using history to teach students research, analysis, and communication skills, in which students from grades 6-12 research topics related to an annual theme. Focuses on the 1998 contest with the theme of "Migration in History: Peoples, Cultures, Ideas." (CMK)

Discusses the family night concert as a way to involve family members in music education, where they can participate in the orchestra or as part of a family act. Describes how to create the family concert. Includes a sample invitation and a program to a family night performance. (CMK)

Addresses the National History Day 2000-2001 competition topic "Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas," which encourages analysis of how frontiers develop and their impact on human life. Describes different approaches to the topic, what is expected of students, and the competition itself. (CMK)

Discusses the philosophy of Core Knowledge that was developed by E. D. Hirsch and provides a description of the Core Knowledge curriculum sequence. Examines the history and language arts Core Knowledge curricula that foster civic virtue and the relationship between Core Knowledge and character education. Describes one program focusing on character…

Provides a case for teaching children about local architecture. Describes a specific example called the Kentucky Project as a humanist approach to built environmental education that enabled middle and high school students to study their architectural heritage through a program of videos and related teaching materials. (CMK)

Studies the middle level reading programs in the midwestern states to determine which areas received the most emphasis within five separate categories: instruction, approach, comprehension, materials, and activities. Finds that typical midwestern reading programs focus primarily on developmental instruction, emphasize a traditional skills approach…

Discusses the New Zealand Geography Olympiad for 4th, 5th, and 6th form geography students, focusing on the schools round, the regional rounds, and the National Final, which produced a four member team that traveled to Toronto (Canada) to compete in the 4th National Geographic International Geography Olympiad. Discusses the International Olympiad.…

Describes the Marietta (Ohio) "Teen Teaching" program, semester-long courses that provide high school juniors and seniors with opportunities to explore teaching in music education. Discusses the activities of the Teen Teachers, who work with elementary and middle school teachers for two periods every day. (CMK)

Descriptions of eight exemplary precollege earth science programs are presented. The programs were locally developed, nontext based, and having an extensive laboratory component. The programs emphasize societal issues involving aspects of earth sciences. (CW)

Discusses the contributions of issues-centered education to a multicultural education program. Suggests that middle school students will develop an open-ended attitude toward social problems that aids the development of problem-solving skills. Presents an example of a multicultural issue including background information and a script of a class…

Contends that by providing adolescent males with opportunities to interact with other males who sing will help them perceive singing as a male activity. Describes a program that enables boys to interact with other male singers called "A Workshop for Boy Singers." (CMK)

Addresses the Niles Firebrick Project, an outreach program from Youngstown State University that has traveled to nine schools in six Ohio school districts, with a majority of the classrooms visited in middle schools. Explains that the project centers on the use of primary documents about the Niles Fire Brick Company. (CMK)