The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide school district leaders and policymakers information of the impact grade configuration had on academic performance using math and ELA ILEARN scores over a three-year period. The study included data from 585 schools that were classified into four groups: Elementary Setting, Intermediate Setting,…

This book advances discussion and disseminates knowledge and global perspectives on what school leadership looks like, how it is enacted and under what circumstances, and when or where lessons might be portable. This book has wide appeal for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners considering school leadership and how to support it…

This evaluation assesses Linking Up, a demonstration program investigating the process and consequences of mentoring. The program matched seventh- and eighth-graders with adult mentors in a small, rural junior-senior high school and an urban junior-senior high school. Student participants were selected to reflect the risk levels of each school's…

An Illinois school district decided, on an experimental basis, to drop junior high schools and go back to a K-8 organization. In the first year of a three-year experiment, average student learning growth in all subjects was 11 months at the K-7 buildings compared to six months at the junior high school. (MLF)

This ERIC digest examines the growth and nature of juvenile gangs and the growing problem they present in the nation's public schools. It explores the characteristics of gangs, the impact gangs are having on public schools, why gangs develop and why students join them, what the schools' responses have been to gangs, and effective interactions for…

The Douglas School System (South Dakota) has successfully operated a Time Out/Discipline Model program in their middle school for five years. The program was developed from 1978-1981 with Title IV-C funds and was validated in May 1981. Two major goals have proven statistically successful: (1) students will choose responsible behavior and will…

This report presents data on public school dropouts in grade levels 7 and 12 in Texas public middle schools and high schools for 1989-90. The data are presented in the aggregate and by grade, and with projected cross-sectional dropout rates for each of those grades for the next 5 years. The information was provided through the Public Education…

This document comprises an evaluation of the first-year implementation of the Junior High School Student Assistance Program (JHSSAP), a dropout prevention program of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). JHSSAP is comprised of the following components: (1) Extended Counseling (EC), providing 8 hours per week of auxiliary counseling at…

This report describes the activities and research directions taken during the second year of an anticipated four-school-year study that attempts to identify effective instructional practices in Chapter 1 junior high schools in Los Angeles (California). The report is divided into four sections. Section 1 reviews the purposes of the study and…

In 1999, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) was administered to students in grades 4, 5, 8, and 10 to assess student achievement of the Sunshine State Standards in reading and mathematics as mandated by the Florida legislature. This report informs administrators, legislators, and the general public about the reading and mathematics…

Many telephone and video homework hotlines have sprung up during the 1980s, partly due to the educational reform movement. This study, which examined junior high student and teacher attitudes toward homework and an experimental homework hotline in Iowa, provides empirical data for other interested school districts. Includes four tables. (MLH)

Given that the physical, emotional, and social metamorphosis of today's early adolescents differs chronologically from that of adolescents a century ago, school districts must identify the middle level school grade configuration that will best accommodate local student developmental needs. Educators must first identify the age at which local…

As a disciplinary procedure, suspension of students from all school levels has become a serious problem. Because of early maladaptive behavior, many students never receive services they need in order to benefit from their educational experiences. Instead, they are continually suspended, often expelled, and either drop out or are pushed out of…

This document comprises an evaluation of the 1988 METRO Achievement Program, a summer educational program to help develop the academic potential of primarily Black and Hispanic girls entering the seventh and eighth grades in Chicago. The 5-week program included the following components: (1) mathematics, science, and communication skills classes;…

Describes a two year pilot program which made a significant step toward improving academics, morale, and student/parent involvement which helped a Florida junior high school earn national recognition. (MD)