Exploring the current educational setting consist of persistent and high-stakes testing and accountability, leaving administrators and professional school counselors tenaciously searching for new and efficient methods to enhance students' behavior and academic performance. In an attempt to obtain growth from their students, several schools and…

Middle school students are walking dichotomies. They can talk about world peace and then hit the kid next to them. They can recycle to ease global warming only to leave the cafeteria a mess. Why? Well, scientifically, it is because their brains do not work. When people look at middle school students, they can plainly see evidence of physical…

The six chapters in this research involve the history and development of middle schools from the early conceptions of junior high school to the ground breaking research by the Carnegie Foundation on changes in how young adolescent students develop, are taught and transitioned from elementary levels to high school. Professional literature reporting…

You see them every day in middle schools: students who seem to spend more time in the office than they do in class. In Florida, middle school students are more likely than elementary or high school students to be suspended, according to the Florida Department of Education (2001). While many adolescents go through their middle school years…

The author presents information related to brain growth and intellectual capacity. Work on early adolescent (ages 10 to 15) brain growth, its effect on cognitive development, and the implications that such research has on the capacities of early adolescents to learn are discussed. (Editor/KC)

Offers a detailed examination of both external and internal assets that middle school students may have, and discusses those that can be significantly affected by middle schools. Describes what successful middle schools do, and discusses teacher training and positive youth development. (SR)

One of the most challenging daily experiences of teaching young adolescents is helping them transition from Piaget's concrete to the formal operational stage of cognitive development during the middle school years. Students who have reached formal operations can design and test hypotheses, engage in deductive reasoning, use flexible thinking,…

Describes typical transitions during Montessori's third plane of development, focusing on how the educational environment can offer a curriculum consonant with development. Describes how contemporary Erdkinder models at middle and high school levels have incorporated work on the land and apprentice learning to meet adolescents' needs/interests.…

Provides an abstract of the book, "Developmentally Appropriate Middle Schools," which examines young adolescents' physical, psychosocial, and cognitive characteristics, and suggests developmentally appropriate educational experiences. The book includes the idea that young adolescents' individual development should be the basis for curricular,…

Adolescents are challenged to adjust to a new physical sense of self, new intellectual abilities, and cognitive demands; expand verbal skills; establish emotional and psychological independence from parents; establish adult vocational goals; develop productive peer relationships; manage their sexuality; and develop self-control. Transitional…

Nine articles on the young adolescent consider the ability of middle schools to adapt to the needs of their students, the educational implications of preadolescent development, adolescent brain growth and cognitive ability, and the relevance of Piaget's psychology to the middle school. The authors' conclusions include the necessity to identify and…

Noting that early adolescence is a time of tremendous growth and change for both youth and their families, this booklet, the second in a series prepared for parents/guardians of children ages 10-15, is intended to help parents adapt to these changes. The booklet describes typical behavior of preadolescents and offers advice to parents on…

The social and interpersonal characteristics of early adolescents are described in relation to puberty and the physical and emotional changes that are experienced by the preteen. Learning characteristics for this age group include problem-solving strategies, self-directed learning, and emerging value systems. (JN)

Noting that young adolescents are very much affected by their families, this booklet, in both English- and Spanish-language versions, was prepared for parents/guardians of children ages 10-15 to help them provide the support needed by a child undergoing some of the most dramatic changes in a lifetime. The booklet describes typical behavior of…

Discusses early adolescence as the second most critical stage of development, and the importance of recognizing this when planning a middle school program. Describes how one school met the pressures of logistics and community expectations to develop a classroom that was responsive to the individual student in light of the characteristics and needs…