Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that…

This article examines a Victorian high school's implementation of a new Year 9 program which was intended to interrupt a traditional academic curriculum and to create an imagined oasis of care and personal development for students. It explores ways in which (1) the existing culture and context of the school continues to frame the subjectivities of…

A CURRICULUM DESIGN WHICH APPEARS APPROPRIATE TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS IS DESCRIBED. BECAUSE OF RAPID CHANGE AND HIGHLY VARIABLE INDIVIDUAL GROWTH PATTERNS, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS THE MOST DIVERSE STUDENT BODY OF ANY SCHOOL UNIT. VARIED THOUGH THE STUDENTS MAY BE, DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS AT THIS AGE INCLUDE ACHIEVING SELF-UNDERSTANDING TO REACH A…

Offers a series of recommendations for middle grades social studies reflecting a conscious commitment to three educational goals: (1) personal development; (2) communication and learning skills; and (3) on history, government, and geography; use of a variety of teaching methods; and recognition of the uniqueness of middle school students. (GEA)

Authors see the provision of an "aesthetic atmosphere" as one of their greatest challenges. One is an art specialist and the other is a principal. Outlines some of the ways in which they have successfully met that challenge. (Editor/RK)

Argues that the greatest deficiency in U.S. education is the development of behavior that is attitude and value-driven, not information-driven. Urges social studies teachers to recognize that middle school education is a moral enterprise and adjust examples, discussion, and teaching activities accordingly. Reviews research and instructional…

This article briefly describes the current status of middle schools in Ohio and attempts to establish a rationale for the development of the middle school. The author's central thesis is that curricular considerations for a middle school are basically identical to those of most junior high schools, and that in order to significantly improve the…

The role of the middle schools in promoting adolescent development and the areas in which the curriculum can help children make the difficult and critical transition from childhood to adolescence are discussed. (MSE)

Variance in abilities and skills of eleven-year-olds being promoted from primary to secondary grades warrants curriculum planning based on concern for the individual development of the child rather than on the type of institttion in which learning takes place. (JB)

Discusses the role of middle school curriculum reform, including disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and integrated perspectives, that will improve students' social, intellectual, and personal development. (JPB)

Developmental characteristics of students in middle schools (grades 5-8) are detailed and a social studies curriculum tailored to their particular needs is outlined. (JMF)

Discusses California's Middle Grade Task Force and its report, "Caught in the Middle: Educational Reform for Young Adolescents in California Public Schools." Describes the 1987 revision of the California history-social science framework which emphasizes character development through studying the moral and ethical struggles of literary…

The notion of educating and encouraging the whole child is not a new idea, but it awaits full acceptance. Strategies for teaching the whole child in a middle-school environment are presented here. The text opens with an overview of how schools have failed to use the latest ideas and technologies in educating students and how schools can draw on…

High expectations and appropriate standards for learning and achievement are important to any curriculum plan. The need for curriculum to meet developmental needs is particularly important for middle-level students. Middle-level students are unlike any other age group and are internally varied. Not all middle-level students need the same things at…

This book was designed to help school, parent, and community leaders acquire the skills necessary for the successful restructuring of middle-level schools. Chapter 1 defines middle-level education and describes the forces that shaped and continue to shape middle-level education, the evolution of middle-level schools, and current middle-level…