A 1988 Johns Hopkins University survey of 1,753 principals from public schools serving seventh graders describes middle grade education in the United States. The 5 articles in this special section are intended to encourage discussion about ways to improve middle level educational practices and disclose new research directions. (MLH)

Presents an award list, arranged by state, that presents titles of children's and young adult books that received awards during the past year. The name of the award, the appropriate ages and grade levels (where applicable), and the most recent bibliographic information available are provided for each title. (LRW)

Finds that grades in business communication classes did not vary according to grade level (first year through graduate) but that there were significant differences based on major. Concludes that there is no justification for offering the introductory business communication course at a particular level. (SR)

This supplement/newsletter contains booktalks, news, and other information of interest to librarians, teachers, and readers. This issue includes plans for future issues of the newsletter as well as reviews of fiction and nonfiction books for elementary and secondary school students. Appropriate grade levels, popularity level, and quality level are…

Constructed the Utrecht Early Mathematical Competence Scales to assess the development of mathematical competence in children ages 4 to 7 years using responses from 823 children. Results from the completed 80-item test show considerable differences in mathematical competence at each grade and age level. (SLD)

Principal describes experience in establishing and operating the Minne Howard School, a separate school for ninth-grade students in Alexandria, Virginia. Describes keys to success: Create a teacher advisor component, eliminate inschool suspension, teach five classes, and institute a school support team. (PKP)

This article describes the teaching practices at Upper Rill School, a 1-teacher school in rural Nebraska. With its 8 students, grades 1 through 8, the teacher considers the school?s size and continuity of student enrollment flexible and generative. Subject matter and grade levels are regularly integrated though common curricula. Instruction is…

Pay for Performance (PFP) is once again gaining popularity within education. This study examines teacher attitudes toward PFP policies, and how these views vary by teacher experience, subject area specialization, grade level(s) taught, educational background, risk and time preferences, and feelings of efficacy. Data were collected through a…

The major purpose of the study was to examine the information seeking behaviour of undergraduate students in the University of Botswana. Specifically, the study made effort to determine the sources consulted and the general pattern of information gathering system by the students: the impact of students' gender, level of study and course of study…

The purpose of this study was to determine middle school students' attitudes toward physical education using an attitude instrument grounded in attitude theory. In addition, this investigation also sought to ascertain if gender and grade level influence student attitudes toward the subject matter. Participants for this study were 995 students from…

The aim of this study was twofold: (a) to examine student perceptions of their parent goals and their achievement goal orientations across adolescence, and (b) to examine how perceived parent goals relate to student achievement goal orientations, and engagement in the classroom (both emotional and behavioral) from early to late adolescence. A set…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether gendered differences in occupational aspirations still appear when considering students with similar abilities who study competitively in the same achievement-oriented educational setting. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses stipulated an interaction between gender and year of study…

Concerns about the recruitment and retention of teachers have prompted recent studies into the status of teaching in several different countries. This paper analyses the findings of a survey designed to investigate public perceptions of the teaching profession in the UK. It was undertaken as part of a broader DfES-funded longitudinal project that…

New Leaders for New Schools, a non-profit organization committed to training high-quality urban public school principals, received grants from the U.S. Department of Education in 2006 and 2007 to support the development of innovative teacher compensation strategies. New Leaders is partnering with four urban school districts and a consortium of…

This paper summarizes research relevant to the Austin Independent School District's proposal to move sixth graders from an elementary school (K-6 or K,4-6) to a middle school (6-8) grade grouping. A summary of the evolution of middle-grade education is presented. Three areas affected by grade organization are discussed: academic achievement,…