Declining academic performance, along with a growing apathy of students toward the value of education, demonstrates that students in the United States public education system do not recognize the value of a positive experience in middle schools. A plethora of research and writing has been done on elementary schools and secondary schools, but…

Contrasts motives for adolescent suicide around the turn of the century with motivations for suicide in the 1980s. Concludes that suicide motivations changed from fear of punishment to those involving identity crises. Uses case studies to discuss relationship of causative factors and to illustrate appropriate pedagogical action. (KO)

This report summarizes the deliberations, findings, and recommendations of the National Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health. The report defines the characteristics of a sexually healthy adolescent, provides a foundation for understanding the three developmental stages of adolescents (early, middle, and late adolescence), and offers…

This document presents a health curriculum guide for junior high school students in Alberta, Canada. The introduction discusses the program rationale, curriculum themes, goals, a decision-making model, time allocations of program components, content overlap, characteristics of adolescent development, and the exceptional student. Ways to develop…

The article examines the critical differences between discipline and punishment, discusses the dynamics in the interaction between discipliners and youths, and describes adult responses appropriate for different developmental stages. Focus is on the development of the adolescent's understanding, the processes involved, the behavioral stages, and…

The Family Life Education optional unit of the Manitoba (Canada) Health Education curriculum reflects the current emphasis in health education on preventive medicine, total well-being, and the assumption of individual responsibility for health. The unit as a whole consists of four components: an overview and three grade level guides designed for…

This document presents a teacher resource manual to use with the Health and Personal Life Skills Curriculum Guide for junior high school students developed by the Alberta Department of Education in 1986. It provides practical suggestions to teachers, with emphasis on evaluation in the affective domain, teaching the elective portion of the…

This newsletter, created for teachers, parents, and others interested in current educational themes, addresses the issue of mentoring, what it is, how it works, and why it is needed; and provides some examples of current mentoring programs. It explains that there are two types of mentoring: natural, such as through friends, relatives, and…

This resource for life skills activities for adolescents with special needs covers aspects of interpersonal relationships, communication skills, academic and school skills, practical living skills, vocational skills, problem-solving skills, and lifestyle choices. Included are 190 illustrated activity sheets with related exercises, discussion…

This Personal Development Resource Guide is intended to help teachers implement Ohio's Work and Family Life Program. Course content focuses on the practical problems faced by adolescents at the critical stage of their development. These practical problems are posed through case studies and shared experiences and examined using critical questions…