This serial issue contains five articles relating to career exploration for middle school youth. The first article makes up most of the publication. It explains the concept of Future Options Education, basic tenets of which are the following: (1) career and college preparatory interventions need to be age and stage appropriate; (2) effective learning strategies for young adolescents need to incorporate the themes of "high expectations, high content, and high support"; (3) schools and employment programs need not wait for total school reform to begin to address career education; and (4) there is no one best approach to career development. Future Options Education promotes the use of horizon-broadening learning experiences that include an activity base, self-exploration, adult reinforcement, and a sense of belonging to a group. Future Options Education includes five topic areas: activities that introduce students to the world of work, activities that show the relationship between postsecondary education and good jobs, activities that introduce some key realities of postsecondary education or training, activities that investigate ways to pay for education or training after high school, and activities that keep the door open for future options. Keys to a successful Future Options Education strategy are individualized assessment and the development of an individual Future Options Education Plan. Two case studies of Future Options Education in action and lessons from middle school career programs are included in the report. A list of 15 suggested resources is provided, and reports on projects in progress at the Center for Human Resources, Brandeis University, are included. (KC)