A teacher-designed study of 46 eighth-grade students in a southeastern middle school showed that a majority of students (male and female of high, average, and low ability) liked integrated curriculum, though males favored it more highly than females. This information lends support for middle-school curriculum reform efforts focusing on life skills…

Provides information that middle level educators can use to develop dynamic school cultures that emphasize literacy and actively engage students in this effort. Discusses how cultures are created and sustained, and examines middle school practices for the cultural messages they communicate to students. Describes how literacy may be made a core…

Discusses sources of criticism of progressive middle school curriculum reforms that emphasize democratic learning communities, egalitarian methods and attention to emerging learning theory. Notes attempts by political conservatives and religious fundamentalists to undo progressive educational reform, and resistance based on academic success,…

Describes a teacher mentoring program at Bear River Middle School in Utah, based on interviews with the principal, mentors, and new teachers. Discusses the program's formal and informal characteristics, needs addressed, and areas needing improvement. Asserts that mentoring constitutes an important part of the induction process for new teachers by…

Students find performance-based assessment exciting because the tasks are intriguing and mirror real-life experiences. As this vignette of a middle school interdisciplinary coastal ecology unit shows, hands-on, teacher-made assessments can effectively evaluate students' mastery of process skills such as observing, classifying, inferring,…

Describes educational and philosophical foundations of the Carolina Friends Middle School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which blends a conception of adolescent development with Quaker beliefs to create a community that values contributions of young people and the ideals of cooperation, responsibility, and communication. Considers the school as a…

Argues that various reforms have been initiated in an attempt to respond to calls for school improvement, and although well-intentioned, most attempts have failed to bring about the substantive change needed in American schools. Discusses first- and second-order change and middle school philosophy. Recounts two stories of change. (SD)

Urges renewal and revitalization to sustain middle school reform. Discusses the nature of middle school reform as an ongoing process of refining middle school concepts, practices, or programs to make them better for students. Highlights articles in this issue. (JPB)

School organization is secondary in importance to an attitude toward, and knowledge and understanding of, students among teachers and principals. (Author/MLF)

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)

Details two studies exploring how the middle school movement has affected gifted students. Notes the gap in attitudes between educators of gifted students and educators involved in the middle school-reform movement. Presents examples of fruitful collaboration that give promise for more effective future interaction. (SD)

Describes the staff development process implemented prior to opening a new middle school in eastern York, Pennsylvania. Discusses the initial dilemma, results of an early teacher survey, and the partnership with Penn State York, including the development and content of courses on middle school teaching for teachers making the transition to the new…

Examines the merging of site-based management with middle school development, highlighting as an example successful implementation in Missoula County, Montana. Discusses changes in teachers' attitudes, how site-based management aided the transition to middle school, and its unanticipated impact on the salary negotiation process. Presents goals for…

Discusses criticism of middle school reform based on questions about the universality and intensity of the characteristics of early adolescence. Suggests ways in which middle school advocates might respond to various criticisms, from using research evidence to supplementing their emphasis on development with a socially conscious commitment to…

Presents results of a national survey completed in 1977. This report deals with staffing and curricula and presents a profile of a typical middle school. (IRT)