The authors describe the development and implementation of the Career Institute, a program designed to provide opportunities for young adolescents to explore their interests and abilities in relation to their current educational experiences and future college and career goals. They share details about how the school-wide career development program…

When a survey of students at Eisenhower Middle School in Everett, Washington indicated that they spent a good part of the school day feeling tired and hungry, that they felt unsafe in some areas of the school, and that worn-down facilities left many of them feeling depressed, the author and his staff concluded that, in order to improve the…

In an attempt to stimulate students to apply themselves academically and develop their pride in their school a competitive program was designed to turn negative aspects into positive ones. (Author/RK)

The director of a middle school intramural athletic program describes the process of developing his school's program from a very limited offering with small financial backing to a program involving nineteen activities, a full-time director, and six assistants. (MJB)

A teacher of middle school gifted students describes the development of an apprentice program in which students learned from community mentors. Students set personal goals and kept journals on their thoughts and feelings. Several journal excerpts are included. (CL)

The Monroe Middle School (Monroe, North Carolina) intramural sports program began in 1972 with one teacher, no funds, and limited facilities. With hard work, the program now has a director, six assistants; top priority in facility use, and financial support for awards and equipment. (MJB)

In this technical report, data are presented on the predictive and concurrent relation between various student demographic variables (gender, race/ethnicity, special education status, Title 1 status, English language learning status, and economic disadvantage) and three reading easyCBMs (passage reading fluency, vocabulary, and multiple-choice…

Discussed are the major areas that must be considered as part of the total development of a resource room program for learning disabled middle school students. (SBH)

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, influential in middle-grades policy, advocates a three tiered approach envisioning high-performing schools as academically rigorous, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable. This report discusses pioneering programs, critics' concerns, exemplary Michigan programs, and urban schools'…

The Iowa Career Exploration Institute was designed to plan for implementation of career education at the junior high or middle school level. Fourteen planning teams were selected from different size schools and geographical areas of Iowa. The teams consisted of administrators, counselors, and classroom teachers. The first three days of meetings…

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…

Recognizing the need for opportunities for children to interact meaningfully with older adults, this fastback discusses the organization and implementation of intergenerational programs in elementary and middle schools. It begins with a description of effective programs, focusing on the impact of two programs on students and older adults. The…

The purpose of this practicum was to develop and implement an articulated educational program for an urban middle school. In his discussion, the author identifies a number of programs that contribute to poor articulation and suggests activities that can overcome these problems. Heart of the practicum was an effort to improve articulation between…

Tobacco is routinely used during the school day by many middle school, junior, and senior high school students. Since the cost of tobacco addiction in terms of illness and the drain on school resources are enormous, an in-school cessation program is needed. No other institution in the community is better situated to provide intervention programs…

Describes the evolution of the University of Illinois' collaborative Project on High Performance Learning Communities, established in 1989 in response to policymakers' and practitioners' need for a more fully developed, practical knowledge base on educational reform. The university/research partners' role is to synthesize the most current,…