The history of young adolescent education can be viewed as an ongoing search for the appropriate combination of school organization, curriculum, and instructional practices for young adolescents. While middle schools have now become the most common pattern for schools housing young adolescents, there have always been other broader school…

Examines six elements of the transition to middle schools that ultimately hindered full implementation of the middle school concept in many schools: use of an incremental stage implementation model, lack of teacher education programs, lack of curriculum development, inadequate leadership, a paucity of research, and misunderstanding of the middle…

Discusses: (1) "Growing Pains: The Making of America's Middle School Teachers" (McEwin and Scales); (2) "The Professional Preparation of Middle School Teachers: Profiles of Successful Programs" (McEwin and Dickinson); (3) "A Vision of Excellence: Organizing Principles for Middle Grades Teacher Education" (McEwin, Dickinson, Erb, and Scales); and…

Maintains that duality of middle school teacher commitments to significant academic learning and developmentally appropriate contexts has important implications for teacher roles, professional preparation, and continuing professional development. Describes teacher roles of student advocate, role model, supporter of diversity, collaborator, and…