Full Description
Many contemporary American middle schools are stuck in a state of "arrested development," failing to implement the original concept of middle schools to a varying, though equally corruptive degrees. The individual chapters of the book outline in detail how to counter this dangerous trend, offering guidance to those who seek immediate, significant, internal reforms before we lose the unique value of middle schools for our nation's adolescents.
Contents
Acknowledgements Preface Introduction. Reform and Reinvention James A. Beane THEORETICAL FOUDATIONS Reinventing the middle school: A proposal to counter arrested development Thomas S. Dickinson The school and the child and the child in the school Debra Eckerman Pitton Hope for Sandy: Transformation points: A reinvention paradigm Mary M. Gallagher-Polite The arc of equity in re-invented middle schools Janet E. McDaniel, Juan Necochea, Francisco A. Rios, Laura P. Stowell, and Charlotte Kritzer CURRICULUM ISSUES Standards, students, and exploration: Creating a curriculum intersection of excellence P. Elizabeth Pate Connecting caring and action: Teachers who create learning communities in their classrooms David Strahan, Tracy Smith, Mike McElrath, and Cecilia Toole On headpieces of straw: How middle level students view their schooling Richard Powell ISSUES OF PRACTICE High quality learning opportunities in high poverty middle schools: Moving from rhetoric to reality Douglas J. Mac Iver, Estelle Young, Robert Balfanz, Alta Shaw, Maria Garriott, and Amy Cohen Transforming organizational structures for young adolescents and adult learning Thomas O. Erb Our turn? Teaming and the professional development of teachers Daniel L. Kain UNRESOLVED ISSUES The role of technology for learning in the reinvented middle school Susan M. Powers, Cathleen D. Rafferty, and B.J. Eib Transformation and context in middle grades reform Gayle A. Davis Coming together to raise our children: Community and the reinvented middle school Kim K. Ruebel Engineering success through purposeful articulation Jeanneine P. Jones Reinventing middle level teacher preparation via professional development schools Laura Van Zandt Allen and C. Kenneth McEwin A VIEW TOWARS THE FUTURE On a good day everyone grows: Reflections on the reinvention of a school Thomas S. Dickinson and Deborah A. Butler Author Biographies Index
