This review of the status of junior high schools, prepared as a testimony for the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education, argues that, despite the fact that early adolescence is a critical time in human development, schooling for young adolescents is the weakest link in the chain of public education. Middle and junior high…

This book for teachers, counselors, or group leaders, provides a set of activities through which young persons can experience issues relating to their own sense of identity. The activities are based on the life experiences of 100 adult women interviewed in 1977-78. The exercises can be used in a variety of high school, community college, or…

Both the junior high school and the middle school were established specifically to meet the unique physical and intellectual needs of preadolescents and early adolescents. The ability of these types of schools to accomplish that goal, as measured by the research, is the basic subject of this report. Each of the report's five parts begins with an…

This document contains the papers presented at a conference that addressed the paucity of research on the relationship between schooling and adolescent development. The first four papers with reaction/comment statements focus on the following topics: (1) distinguishing the appropriate responsibilities of schools to adolescent development; (2)…

This manual is for educators, parents, and policymakers who wish to evaluate the responsiveness of middle schools to the developmental needs of twelve to fourteen-year-old students (young adolescents). A leader's manual and a slide-tape presentation complete the training needed to use this Middle Grades Assessment Program. A preliminary discussion…

Erikson marked adolescence for the prime developmental task of identity achievement. An examination of 31 mothers, aged 25 to 45, revealed that foreclosure of identity development was the norm for this sample in adolescence and that, for those who had achieved identity, the subsequent status change was related to the liberating influences of…

Family background variables such as race, religion, and gender of household head emerged as significant predictors of communication about sex in interviews conducted with a sample of mothers and teenage daughters. A suprising finding was a strong positive association between family religion and early sexual communication, although this may reflect…

Unpaid community activities have been widely recommended as learning experiences for adolescents. An evaluation was conducted of two community action learning programs, one which placed adolescents one-to-one in adult-dominated settings and the other which gave adolescents a group project to plan and carry out with adult assistance. Both programs…

In a discussion of psychological development separate sections are devoted to (1) biological and cultural influences on development, (2) development in infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence, (3) physiological foundations of behavior, (4) motivation and cognitive development, (5) intellectual development, (6) imagination and…

Summarizes 10 recent ERIC documents concerning the development and education of young adolescents. Issues covered in these documents include the definition of adolescence and adolescence in relation to sexual, physical, cognitive, and social development, family life, after-school needs, risk-taking behavior, educational needs, and teacher…

Considers what literature does, its role in a child's education, and how it might be taught. Advocates the use of adolescent literature in the classroom. (NKA)

Echoes the recommendation in "An Agenda for Excellence at the Middle Level" that junior high schools and middle schools recognize and accommodate their socially, physically, and mentally diverse populations. (SRT)

Contains seven essays addressing the following topics: (1) Israeli youths' search for identity; (2) the Black Panthers of Israel; (3) cultural characteristics and group image of religious youth; (4) drug use among high school students; (5) Israeli youth movements; (6) proscriptive values in high school youth; and (7) disadvantaged youngsters in a…

This digest examines recent literature on factors related to resilience, well-being, and school success for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The characteristics of resilient Native youth are discussed, including the ability to bounce back from adversity, and protective factors that enable high-risk resilient children to avoid negative…

This study explored the meaning of motherhood among Navajo teenagers, their mothers, and community informants living in a small, rural town on a Navajo Reservation. Participating were 8 Navajo teenage mothers ranging from 16 to 19 years, 7 grandmothers (mothers of the teens) who ranged from 41 to 57 years, and 6 community informants: two teachers,…