Portugal, like many other countries, faces obstacles regarding school-based sexuality education. This paper explores Portuguese schools' approaches to implementing sexuality education at a local level, and provides a critical analysis of potential strengths and weaknesses. Documents related to sexuality education in a convenience sample of 89…

A companion report provided a summary of what was learned from surveys of principals and staff developers about the newly created position of staff developer in the middle schools of the San Diego City Schools, California. This study investigated the spring followup study that asked teachers what they thought about the new position and the work of…

As part of a school reform program, focused initially on literacy the San Diego City Schools decided to create the position of school-based staff developer. Creating this position proved to be a daunting challenge, with considerable disagreement between the union and the school district. Data were collected about the early implementation of the…

In the spring of 2004, the Arkansas Association of School Administrators and the Arkansas Association of Middle Level Education surveyed all public school middle school principals in the State of Arkansas as to the degree of implementation of middle school programming. This document reports the results of the survey. Conclusions are drawn from…

Presents a staff-development model for implementing a schoolwide conflict-management plan. Discusses an urban middle school's ongoing conflict-management plan to illustrate a conflict prevention and management strategy shaped by the school's culture and climate realities. Program effectiveness improves when a philosophical orientation is…

A survey of middle-level teachers in rural and remote South Dakota schools found that teachers generally supported middle-school concepts but felt professionally isolated and limited by scarce resources. Principals can help by providing inservice education and staff development, alternative scheduling for increased collaboration, and encouragement…

In January 1988 a group of Minneapolis-area citizens and educators formed the Chiron Steering Committee to design an experimental middle school program (grades 5-8). The result is the Chiron Middle School outlined in this proposal. The main body of the report focuses on a description of the Chiron proposal, including the program, schedule,…

This study provides a data profile on Vermont's middle level schools and draws several comparisons between these data and those collected in a similar study conducted in 1980. Section One reports the current data from surveyed principals. Section Two offers several comparisons between 1980 and 1989 data. Section Three draws conclusions and offers…

This paper presents organizational strategies and implementation methods for conversion to middle school organization (scheduled to take place in 1988) in the Johnson City, Tennessee, school system. Carried out by the district in partnership with local institutions of higher education, the study focuses on what is educationally best for the child…

A Javits grant implemented statewide in Kentucky used innovative curriculum and team teaching to identify and serve middle school gifted students. Project components included interdisciplinary curriculum development, staff development, expanded provision of services, alternative methods for identifying middle school gifted students, and parent…

This digest discusses the issues involved in implementing middle school foreign language programs. A number of implementation and instructional issues are highlighted, including: scheduling, staffing, teacher recruitment, teacher certification, staff development, curriculum development, teaching methods, and instructional materials. (VWL)

In 1988, the Jefferson County Public Schools, in Louisville (Kentucky), received an initial planning grant from the Program for Student Achievement of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation to focus on three "highs" in education--high content, high expectations, and high support. The school district chose three middle schools to participate…

Reflecting four years of work with teachers and students in culturally and linguistically diverse classroom settings, this book discusses theoretical and practical issues surrounding the development of literacy in multicultural K-8 classrooms. Emerging from a longitudinal study implemented in three school districts, the book integrates the…

This evaluation report describes the Quality Improvement Program Plan for Special Educators (QUIPP) which provides supplemental professional development opportunities for New York City special education professionals and paraprofessionals at the elementary, middle, and intermediate/junior high school levels. The program stresses design of the…

This practicum was designed and implemented to reduce the underrepresentation of minority students in gifted programs, and to help minority students improve their academic achievement in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The practicum involved examining the gifted student nomination/identification process to see if instruments or procedures were…