Discusses current middle school reform efforts and the need to change significantly the structure and practice of middle school education. Examines three practices that hold great promise for meeting the increasingly diverse needs of middle school students (and that boost each others' effectiveness): teacher collaboration, block scheduling, and…

Describes the collaboration between a third-year high school teacher and a seasoned education professor, in which the two traded places, coteaching each other's classes for the entire school year. Discusses getting started, what they expected and what they learned, long-term individual effects of collaboration, ensuring success, and collaboration…

The story of the process that Mundelein High School (located in a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois) as it moved from a traditional schedule to a block schedule is described throughout this book as a way to blend theory with practice. The book addresses types of block schedules; key issues for effective preparation; professional development…