This first chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains four articles that describe strategies for counselors to use in helping middle school students move toward self-understanding. "A Dialogue with Self: The Journal as an Educational Tool," by Dalva Hedlund, Tanis Furst, and Kathryn Foley, describes journal writing as a…

This fifth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" looks at the issue of sexual maturation in early adolescence via four articles. "The Counselor's Impact on Middle-Grade Students," by Hershel Thornburg, examines physical, intellectual, and social developmental tasks of early adolescence. "Contraceptive and Sexuality Knowledge…

Surveying the television habits of teenagers, this annotated bibliography contains 30 references of articles and papers in the ERIC database. The first section, "Impact on Health, Sexual Behavior, Use of Alcohol," addresses such issues as the relationship of viewing sexual content to sexual activity and sex role acquisition, and relationships…

This fact sheet focuses on the school counselor role at the high school level. It discusses the developmental role of school counselors, kindergarten through grade 12 comprehensive developmental guidance, and counselor role essentials. Also included are sections on secondary developmental guidance, a model job description for secondary counselors,…

Middle schools embrace exploration as a guiding principle across the school curriculum. Noting that the research on exploratory courses is sparse, this digest discusses what is known about exploratory curriculum in middle schools. The digest first looks at the role of exploratory curriculum, pointing out that the purpose of exploratory courses is…

This factsheet considers the psychological task of adolescence, explains the adolescent's separation from his/her parents, and gives child and parent checklists for evaluating family functioning. Patterns of family development are discussed, including midlife parental development and the influence of previous generations. The role of non-family…

Recent debates among educators about the middle school curriculum involve three concepts: (1) middle school ought to provide a general education school in which the curriculum focuses on widely shared concerns of early adolescents and the larger world rather than specialization among separate subjects; (2) the curriculum ought to serve the…

This monograph was written to help teachers, counselors, and parents who live and work with adolescents. It explains the psychological tasks of adolescence, separation from parents, and identity formation. Guidelines are provided for adolescent and parental development in several areas. An overview of regressive adaptation focuses on expressions…

Achieving manhood has historically been a complex and challenging task for the Black male in America. Therefore Black manhood must be carefully fostered from an early age by major socializing agents and institutions. This book provides school counselors and related professionals with important information about the development of young Black…

This digest reviews some of the literature on middle grades teacher preparation focusing on the following topics: (1) characteristics and needs of early adolescents (aged 10-14); (2) the kinds of schools and programs suited to early adolescents; and (3) characteristics of a teacher education curriculum that would adequately prepare teachers for…

Summarizes 10 recent ERIC documents concerning the development and education of young adolescents. Issues covered in these documents include the definition of adolescence and adolescence in relation to sexual, physical, cognitive, and social development, family life, after-school needs, risk-taking behavior, educational needs, and teacher…

This digest examines recent literature on factors related to resilience, well-being, and school success for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The characteristics of resilient Native youth are discussed, including the ability to bounce back from adversity, and protective factors that enable high-risk resilient children to avoid negative…

This book of readings presents 33 articles that address topics of importance to counselors who serve middle school students. It was written for counselors already working in middle schools and for individuals who are preparing for careers as middle school counselors. The book will also benefit both elementary school counselors who help children…

This Digest reviews some ideas and suggestions about parental involvement in middle school education, focusing on the language arts. The Digest reviews the research on how to increase parental involvement in middle schools and presents several programs already in use at various middle schools. The diverse programs outlined in the Digest feature…

In plain language, these six ready-to-copy briefs state what researchers and practitioners have learned about various ways parents can help their children do well in school. "Calculating the Risks: When Should Parents Add or Subtract?" discusses the normal risks of life, the intensification of risk by poverty, and how parents can keep…