Discusses "pods,""team areas," and "houses" as middle school physical environments that support the type of learning opportunities young adolescents need. Offers examples of such school designs from Cleveland, Tennessee; British Columbia; and Milledgeville, Georgia. Concludes by suggesting specifications for new middle school buildings. (EV)

Summarizes 10 major difficulties associated with ability grouping, including unfair and inaccurate student placements; the "locked-in" nature of ability grouping; undue emphasis on ability over effort; erosion of self-esteem; racial, ethnic, and income isolation; unequally distributed learning resources; illegal practices; and the need for a…

Discusses ways to improve collaborative communication between core and exploratory curriculum teachers in interdisciplinary team-taught middle schools. Considers techniques of curriculum integration, homebase/advisory alliances, extended teams, core-exploratory liaisons, rotating team connections, exploratory teams, equalized assessment,…

Describes strategies used by one middle school to successfully challenge gifted students in the context of the regular classroom, satisfy their parents, and preserve the best of the middle school concept for all students. Strategies include block scheduling, regular schoolwide recognition programs, a school climate characterized by academic rigor…

Concludes this journal focus section on curriculum integration with transcripts of questions asked by conference attendees and answers by Professors Beane and George. Areas addressed included experience levels with children and teachers, studies that point to the failure of curriculum integration, and how teachers can continue curriculum…

Presents 36 reasons why middle level educators should be cautious of an integrated curriculum approach. Fifteen reasons relate to unsubstantiated claims about the superiority of integrated curriculum, while 21 reasons relate to negative outcomes that might accompany excessive attention to an integrated curriculum. Urges caution and further…