Education for young adolescents must be challenging, relevant, integrative, and exploratory. Integrative teaching (e.g., interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, etc.) benefits middle-level learners as it potentially increases student engagement, motivation, and achievement. It provides learners with the opportunity to synthesize…

Discusses what board certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards entails for middle school teachers. Describes the certification areas, provides a rationale for seeking certification, describes components of the certification process, and discusses the impact of certification related to credibility and support of…

Describes some alternative conceptions of middle-level student achievement based on case studies profiling new literacies in U.S. and Canadian classrooms. Identifies characteristics of fluency in multiple forms of representation, critical thinking and talking about student work, adaptability of individual and collaborative activities, and high…

Describes how service learning can link to the middle school curriculum to strengthen the learning of various skills and concepts. Presents service learning model involving preparation, action, reflection, and recognition. Includes examples of effective infusion of service learning into units, lessons, and projects. Concludes with recommendations…

Details steps for implementing a site-based scheduling model for middle schools. Six steps are: forming the scheduling committee, conducting a needs assessment, setting and prioritizing goals, examining other working schedules, developing the master schedule, and adjusting the master schedule. (KB)

Explored how teacher advisory programs are perceived and implemented in five middle schools in four different states with strong, group-oriented guidance philosophies. Found that schools varied widely in execution and organization of teacher advisory programs. All but one had large groups of students, which made meaningful guidance-based advisory…

Describes school-based service learning at the middle school level and the rationale for implementing service-learning projects. Differentiates various types of projects, provides guidelines and ideas for implementing projects, and describes relevant organizations at the community, state, and national levels. (KB)

Discusses Georgia's Principles of Educating Teachers (POET), a statewide initiative designed to encourage middle level teacher education reform. Explores the context of middle level education in Georgia, POET's role as part of a broader reform effort called the Georgia Initiative in Mathematics and Science (GIMS), the two-phase statewide processes…

Describes the Agriculture-Science Project, a program designed for inner-city African-American males to improve science grades, increase awareness of good health/safety practices, and increase awareness of science/health careers. Notes summer program results revealing significant differences in educational climate between summer and regular school,…

Describes an Adopt-a-Grandparent program involving seventh-grade students and area senior citizens. Describes aspects of program implementation and organization, including advance preparation, contacting and meeting grandparents, funding, and visits. Discusses program outcomes, including behavioral observations, studies related to…

Describes the educational program at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, New Jersey, as an example of the potential for synergy between content instruction and character development. Highlights how the school follows guidelines from the publication "Promoting Social and Emotional Learning, Guidelines for Educators." (EV)

Discusses the Specialized Treatment and Rehabilitation (STAR) project for juvenile offenders in Montgomery County, Texas, noting the project's unique variation on the boot camp model while meeting the educational needs of the student without removal from the home or school campus. Details program goals, parental responsibilities, induction, daily…

Concerned about student learning, believing tardiness to be at an all-time high, and not happy with their current policy for dealing with student tardiness, the faculty of a junior high school in the Rocky Mountain area asked themselves: "What can be done about students who are tardy?" This article describes that process and their…

Describes development of a middle school advisory program based in character education. Includes descriptions of class activities to introduce character education emphasizing respect, perseverance, integrity, citizenship, trustworthiness, responsibility, compassion, honesty, self-discipline, and fairness. Notes that the advisory program resulted…

Describes the staff development process implemented prior to opening a new middle school in eastern York, Pennsylvania. Discusses the initial dilemma, results of an early teacher survey, and the partnership with Penn State York, including the development and content of courses on middle school teaching for teachers making the transition to the new…