Many schools attempt to implement multiple programs to promote positive young adolescent development; however, these programs are often fragmented and lack coordination. The authors describe an initiative designed to help schools coordinate their social-emotional and character development (SECD) efforts to improve school climate and help students…

The authors provide a selected review of mental health and educational concerns evident in U.S. middle schools and describes promising and important strategies to ameliorate the high rates of students with mental health and academic difficulties. Despite some promising and important strategies, service systems are fragmented, and comprehensive…

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…

Describes a developmental guidance curriculum on transition for grades six, seven, and eight. Provides the background, methodology, and some of the children's responses to the material, which consists of units on awareness, understanding, and challenge. Includes a list of children's stories on transitions. (JAC)

Describes a school prevention program that emphasizes normal developmental needs of middle school students. The School Families groups, comprised of middle school students, teachers, and adults, met weekly during the school day to discuss issues related to academic performance, decision making, self-esteem, and social skills. Evaluation results…

The middle school program emerged against a backdrop of criticism, awareness of changing educational necessities and values, and new insights into the needs of the middle range of the student population. The precocity of youth mixed with the pseudo-sophistication of adulthood gives the middle school its reason for existence--the…

Describes the School of the Woods' (Houston, Texas) middle school environment, a learning environment developed to create trust and community, provide meaningful work, and allow adolescents to create a vision for their future. Explains the school's philosophy in terms of adolescent psychology, trust, and curriculum. (TJQ)

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…

This booklet is written for middle school students and their parents. It provides information about middle schools in Virginia, and includes suggestions about how parents may help their children during the middle school years. Chapter 1, "Starting Middle Schools," begins with a section on getting acquainted with middle school, discussing…

This guide contains a minicourse based upon the content of "About the Middle School Years, Book 3" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. The minicourse has been designed to help students, with the involvement of their parents, to begin planning for their middle school education. Included in this guide is a sequential…

Based on the view that social and emotional learning (SEL) needs to be an integral part of middle school education, this book provides an overview to social and emotional learning and the development of middle school students, presents a representative range of SEL programs and perspectives, and offers reflections on the current status of SEL and…

While most of the dialogue in education today is about accountability, standardized testing, and adequate yearly progress, the truth is that student success is deeply connected to the physical, emotional, and cognitive needs that they have at different ages. The best schools already know this and follow practices that are academically engaging and…