This history of New South Wales evening and community colleges ends with the challenges of the 1990s, especially diminished government funding, pressures to expand vocational programs, and the need for equitable allocation of resources. (SK)

Examined the effects of a 4-week interdisciplinary unit on middle school students' problem-solving ability. Subjects, 459 students in 4 Midwestern school districts, were taught by 6 teams of teachers. Pre- and posttest results indicated that students identified as formal operational thinkers made significant gains in their problem-solving ability,…

Examined use of integrated, interdisciplinary, or multidisciplinary (I/ID/MD) curricula in Missouri schools. Qualitative and quantitative analyses suggest that: use of I/ID/MD is affected by school size; nonuser schools are primarily rural, with student bodies of low SES status; and teacher involvement in decision making is higher among schools…

Describes a two-tiered model for integrating middle school curriculum. In the parallel model, content area instructors teach individual content separately, integrating subject matter whenever logical connections occur between disciplines. In the integrated thematic model, thematic units allow deliberate, in-depth integration. Combining these…

Four "fables" from the perspectives of four university collaborators describe the transformation of the original Mathematics and Science Collaborative Project (University of New Hampshire and four Durham, New Hampshire, middle and high schools) as its participants and leaders tried to balance the demands of an externally funded project with the…

Explored how a middle school integrative learning environment at a Florida school influenced students' perspectives of curriculum, schooling, and learning. Students in grades 9 and 10 were interviewed. Results indicated three themes pertaining to students' perspectives--thinking and learning integratively, constructing knowledge socially, and…

Conducted observations of 90 teachers and 356 students from 16 inner-city middle level schools. Data indicate that students were typically involved in whole-class instruction and not interacting with either their teacher or other students. Students rarely selected their own instructional activities and were generally very passive. Teachers spent…

Examined 499 urban middle school students' perspectives on cooperative learning and conflicts that arise when they work in groups. Found that most subjects prefer cooperative learning to working alone, but that the most appealing aspects of cooperative learning--peer interaction and opportunities for different points of view--are also fertile…

Compared mathematical performance of middle school students in low-income communities involved in the QUASAR project to those of a demographically similar school and of a nationally representative sample. QUASAR mathematics instruction emphasizes reasoning, problem-solving, and understanding. Quasar students outperformed NAEP's disadvantaged urban…

Examined effects of school socioeconomic status, student race/ethnicity, gender, family composition, and school organization on students' sense of belonging. For high SES schools, no statistically significant effects were obtained for the five variables; for low SES schools, statistically significant main effects were obtained for student gender,…

Examined effectiveness of a teacher education program emphasizing skills and knowledge needed in multicultural, multilingual urban middle school settings. Found that candidates were already culturally/linguistically sensitive, and became more so during the program; felt prepared to meet student needs; and still had difficulty envisioning the…

Suggests that much of the research on middle level education is weak, sparse, and inconclusive. Presents critiques of research and an overview of the research findings of several highly-rated middle level programs. Identifies four factors contributing to the problem, specifically: an insufficient number of studies, utilization of weak research…

Explored the professional knowledge that two teams of interdisciplinary teachers exchanged during their daily interactions using observation of team planning meetings, teacher interviews, and teachers' personal reflections. The following five types of mentoring among highly collaborative teachers emerged: collaborative, clerical, professional…

Examined the impact of common planning time (CPT) on middle grade students' self-concepts and both teachers and students' perceptions of their school climate. Results indicated that students receiving instruction from teachers on interdisciplinary teams with CPT had higher self-concepts and both teachers and students had more positive perceptions…

Describes the purposes and missions of the Partnership for Access to Higher Mathematics (PATH) Project. Focuses on the degree to which the projects' goals were achieved in an eighth- grade mathematics program. Provides demographic data and the results of statistical analyses used to determine the effectiveness of the project, and concludes with…