Principals of middle-grade schools in port of entry communities along the Texas-Mexico border were surveyed to learn about the education and preparational experiences these principals believed novice teachers should have before coming to teach in their schools. Demographic data about themselves, teachers, students and middle-grade schools, along with suggestions for improving Texas teacher education programs were also obtained. Mexican Americans were the dominant ethnic group and culture in these schools for principals, teachers and students. Principals were mostly male, well educated, and certified for the position they held. Student populations ranged from 437--1,603 in rural, urban and suburban settings. Eighty-two percent of the student population participated in the Federal Free Lunch Program. Faculty populations in these schools ranged from 35--145. Student/Teacher ratios range from 8.8/1--18/1. Half the rural schools in this study have difficulty attracting all the properly certified teachers needed for their classrooms. Principals slightly preferred secondary certified over elementary certified teachers for middle-grade teaching positions. Combined responses from principals revealed that knowledge centered around middle school themes was at least as important for pre-service teachers as their knowledge of pedagogy. The majority of responding principals ranked the following coursework and experiences as "essential" or "very important" for pre-service teachers: student teaching in the middle-grades, appropriate teaching methods for pre- and young adolescents, pre-student teaching field experiences in the middle-grades, developmental characteristics and needs of pre- and young adolescents, and curriculum and organization in middle-grades. Other coursework and experiences ranked by the majority of principals as "important" are: dealing with the culture of poverty, dealing with the Latino culture, and ESL certification. The compiled responses from data revealed responding principals believe Texas teacher education programs are adequately preparing pre-service teachers. However, more emphasis should be placed on: middle-grade teaching skills and concepts, classroom management and discipline, curriculum and instruction, and communication with parents, staff, and community. Pre-service teachers need more information about working with students and parents living in poverty. Responding principals would also like pre-service teachers to have greater exposure to middle-grade classrooms through additional observation experiences and student teaching.

Offers middle school teachers practical advice on how they can adapt their instruction methods to meet the needs of diverse students and cope with the emotional challenges they face in the classroom.

Teaching Middle School Language Arts is the first book on teaching middle school language arts for multiple intelligences and related 21st century literacies in technologically and ethnically diverse communities. More than 670,000 middle school teachers (grades six through eight) are responsible for educating nearly 13 million students in public and private schools. Thousands more teachers join these ranks annually, especially in the South and West, where ethnic populations are ballooning. Teachers and administrators seek practical, time-efficient ways of teaching language arts to 21st century adolescents in increasingly multicultural, technologically diverse, socially networked communities. They seek sound understanding, practical advice, and proven strategies for connecting diverse literature to 21st century societies while meeting state and professional standards. Teaching Middle School Language Arts provides strategies and resources that work. Roseboro's book provides an entire academic year of inspiring theory and instruction in multimedia reading, writing, and speaking for the 21st century literacies that are increasingly required in the United States and Canada. An appendix includes supplementary documents to adapt or adopt, and a companion web site is designed to continue communication with readers.

Get the "big picture" of teaching reading in the middle school, including research, as well as the practical details you need to help every stydent become a better reader. Veteran teacher Laura Robb shares how to: teach reading strategies across the curriculum, present mini-lessons that deepen students' knowledge of how specific reading strategies work; help kids apply the strategies through guided practice; support struggling readers with a plan of action that improves their reading motivation; and much more.

Introduction to Middle Level Education gives readers an engaging, first person introduction young adolescents and the middle level classroom. It examines the full range of topics relevant to this group of students, from student development and diversity to the structures of middle level education, curriculum instruction, assessment, advisory, service learning, the learning environment, and more. Nine focus teachers and nine focus students bring the concepts to life through photos, vignettes, and professional practice opportunities. In this edition, the new AMLE Teacher Preparation Standards are included in each chapter, along with the 16 characteristics of successful middle level schools featured in the This We Believe section. Likewise, the 13 goals for young adolescent development in This We Believe are referenced repeatedly as concept address ways to meet the goals.

A counselor and popular Washington Post contributor offers a new take on grades 6-8 as a distinct developmental phase--and the perfect time to set up kids to thrive. Middle school is its own important, distinct territory, and yet it's either written off as an uncomfortable rite of passage or lumped in with other developmental phases. Based on her many years working in schools, professional counselor Phyllis Fagell sees these years instead as a critical stage that parents can't afford to ignore (and though "middle school" includes different grades in various regions, Fagell maintains that the ages make more of a difference than the setting). Though the transition from childhood to adolescence can be tough for kids, this time of rapid physical, intellectual, moral, social, and emotional change is a unique opportunity to proactively build character and confidence. Fagell helps parents use the middle school years as a low-stakes training ground to teach kids the key skills they'll need to thrive now and in the future, including making good friend choices, negotiating conflict, regulating their own emotions, be their own advocates, and more. To answer parents' most common questions and struggles with middle school-aged children, Fagell combines her professional and personal expertise with stories and advice from prominent psychologists, doctors, parents, educators, school professionals, and middle schoolers themselves.