Middle-level instructional teams promote feelings of belonging and enhance student academic and social growth, teacher job satisfaction, mission clarity, and instructional program strength. A survey of Ohio middle-school teachers and principals disclosed four components promoting successful team development: including all participants in teamwork…

Explores student and teacher views about an advisor-advisee program being conducted in a rural midwestern middle school. Although teachers overwhelmingly supported the advisory concept, they (as well as students) made several suggestions for improving the school's program: eliminating a controversial Positive Action program; removing disruptive…

Drama is a way of learning through role playing and problem solving. The dramatic process calls for self-awareness, communication skills, concentration, and group cooperation. A linear drama approach enables teachers to provide drama activities in a comfortable step-by-step sequence. Incorporating drama into content instruction allows students to…

Very few students in the fifth through eighth grades have mastered basic reading/writing/thinking strategies. Improving language arts outcomes is the responsibility of all middle school teachers. The first step is achieving faculty and community consensus on ideal student outcomes in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Implementing language…