Many paraeducators have no formal education beyond high school and are provided with minimal training once on the job. Furthermore, as more schools turn to inclusionary practices, the impetus for highly qualified paraeducators becomes more important. However, little research has examined efficient ways to train paraeducators who work in inclusive…

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…

Site-based professional development is an important component of instructional leadership in every school, yet many schools struggle to define and maintain a systematic approach to staff development. The need to stay informed about current strategies and research that relates to effective instruction is not new to education leaders, but they are…

Provides a rationale for the shift from textbook to thematic instruction in middle schools. Describes a six-session staff development model for thematic instruction that covers the utility and applicability of this approach, development of thematic units, use of literature in such units, assessment of student progress, and implementation of…

Presents a collaborative, writing-across-the curriculum staff development training model developed by Central Michigan University and a rural school district. Details the following: (1) the need, commitment, and delivery system; (2) team selection; (3) team training; (4) development of workshop schedules, content and formats; (5) implementation;…

The Georgia Framework for Integrating Technology in the Student-Centered Classroom (InTech) was created as a staff development program to prepare teachers to integrate technology, student learning, and academic goals. Findings from a survey of 68 middle school teachers, 10 with InTech training, 58 without, revealed InTech teachers showed increases…

This study, which deals with the status of science education in the middle schools of South Carolina, is intended to be useful in: (1) developing middle school science teacher preparation programs; (2) revising certification requirements for middle school science teachers; (3) planning staff development activities for middle school science…

This practicum involved a series of continuous staff training sessions that provided teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to implement the use of computers in the classroom. The 14 workshops and 3 inservice days focused on using the computer for: classroom management skills, evaluating software for instructional use, CD-ROM…

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)

Participant observation techniques were used to observe and analyze a system of "informal education" practiced in a state-supported middle school of 260 students in South Yorkshire, England. "Informal education" was the term used to designate the general nature of the educational methodology of the school. The study focused…

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…

Studies how an urban school, the George A. Lewis Middle School, of the Roxbury section of Boston (Massachusetts) is changing its reputation. Under the process of controlled choice, the school is an example of how teacher professionalization can be a force for overall school improvement. (SLD)

This practicum was designed to increase middle school students' use of their school's existing technology. The project was implemented in four phases. First, teachers participated in 10 in-service training workshops on the use of technology and collaborative learning as an instructional strategy. During the second and third phases a support/mentor…

Guidelines for implementation of the team process as part of the middle school concept are presented. Topics discussed in the 13 chapters include effective middle school characteristics, student needs, curriculum design and development, team functions and effectiveness, scheduling, teaching strategies, student grouping, leadership, staff…

The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program is designed for grades 6 through 12, prepares students most underrepresented in secondary education for four-year college, and restructures the teaching methodology of an entire school to make college preparatory curricula accessible to almost all students. To achieve this goal, school…