What Really Motivates Middle School Students? Teachers define success in many ways. begins her study of ceramics by having studentsexamine objects Each student in a middle school class was linked to an http://www.middleweb.com/StdntMotv.html
Extractions: Engaging work, respondents said, was work that stimulated their curiosity, permitted them to express their creativity, and fostered positive relationships with others. It was also work at which they were good. As for activities they hated, both teachers and students cited work that was repetitive, that required little or no thought, and that was forced on them by others. How, then, would we define engagement? Perhaps the best definition comes from the work of Phil Schlecty (1994), who says students who are engaged exhibit three characteristics: (1) they are attracted to their work, (2) they persist in their work despite challenges and obstacles, and (3) they take visible delight in accomplishing their work.
Extractions: Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Champaign IL. Motivation and Middle School Students. ERIC Digest. THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC ATTRIBUTION THEORY GOAL THEORY 1. grouping by ability and over-use of standardized tests to grouping by topic, interest, and student choice and to frequent reformation of groups; 2. competition between students, and contests with limited winners, to cooperative learning; 3. using test data as a basis for comparison to using test data for diagnosis and to alternatives to tests such as portfolios; 4. normative grading and public display of grades to grading for progress or improvement and involving students in determining their grades; 5. recognition for relative performance, honor rolls for high grades, and over-use of praise (especially for easy tasks) to recognition of progress improvement and an emphasis on learning for its own sake;
Extractions: A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n August 1995 Secondary schools in the 1990s face unprecedented challenges. They must ensure that all students are provided with the opportunity to reach high levels of academic achievement, increase graduation rates, prepare students to become lifelong learners, and provide stimulating and substantively rigorous coursework. These expectations for high quality service and increased student performance are quite challenging, particularly for high poverty schools and for schools serving a student population with varying needs. Three federal initiatives Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) , the Goals 2000: Educate America Act , and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act are working together to assist secondary schools in meeting current challenges. Goals 2000, which provides many states with funds to develop comprehensive school reform plans, can help schools to serve all students. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act assists schools in creating a comprehensive and coherent system to help youth make a smooth transition from school to work, and link academic and practical activities. Title I, which previously played a minimal role in supporting overall school reform in serving disadvantaged secondary school students, is now designed both to meet the special needs of individual students in high poverty schools, as well as support entire schools in implementing innovative practices.
Alliance For Excellent Education - About Us Due, at least in part, to lack of success in school, students President support andfully fund these four initiatives for middle and high school students. http://www.all4ed.org/about/
Extractions: Too many high school students are falling behind. Explore the challenges they face and innovative programs to help make every child a graduate. From classroom to boardroom, school house to the White House, you can champion high school education in your community and nationwide. Alliance Staff Alliance Leadership Team Meet Our National Advisory Board For the last decade, this country has attempted an educational renaissance, making an enormous investment to get more children into preschool and kindergarten and to increase literacy in early grades. New high standards and measures of accountability have been put in place. They are difficult measures, but hold the promise of revolutionizing our school system. Yet amid these dramatic and ongoing reforms we have created another crisis - a crisis in our middle schools and high schools that affects up to six million at-risk students. These young people live in our cities, suburbs, and rural areas and reflect all income levels. Policymakers, educators, and even communities themselves have focused resources on their elementary-aged children to the exclusion of their adolescents. The nation cannot sacrifice one generation of children to save another.
Quick Release, February 1996 January 18, students at Santa Barbara middle school held a to help all bicyclistscommuters,tourists, school children, recreational UCSB program success. http://www.sbbike.org/QR/1996/96.02/96.02.html
Extractions: Public invited to Feb 17th-18th CABO ride and meeting What does CABO do? Middle School students teach bike repair CREF funding results ... Home Public invited to Feb 17th-18th CABO ride and meeting Two events during the upcoming Santa Barbara meeting of the California Association of Bicycling Organizations (CABO) will be open to the public. Join us at the following: Bicycle facilities tour , Sat Feb 17, 1:00 p.m. Meet at the Dolphin Fountain, at State Street and Cabrillo Boulevard. A 20-25 mile easy ride. CABO meeting , Sun Feb 18, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Meet at Community Environmental Center, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara. Catered lunch for $5, RSVP Ralph Fertig by email RHFertig@aol.com or phone 962-1479 evenings. Come chat with experts from all over the state on the ride or at the meeting, or both. Have a chance to see what's happening elsewhere and what they think of our South Coast. The meetings are usually far away, but this one is nearby, so take advantage of it. If you come to the meeting, keep in mind that parking for cars is limited at the CEC, so bike or carpool. Remember, the bike climb up to Miramonte is a challenging one, but the views are absolutely spectacular!
Certiport > Success Stories The Adult Education Division of the school also receives Intelligent Staffing, regularlyhires students from middle Nancy Goth, Instructor at middle Bucks, says http://www.certiport.com/forOrganizations/successStories/middleBucks.asp
Extractions: Providing Credentials to Students and Proven Value to Businesses By offering the globally recognized, portable Microsoft Office Specialist certification, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology distinguishes itself as a top technology training school and rich resource for the business community. Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is a career and technical school that offers Microsoft Office Specialist certification to high school students from four neighboring school districts to help prepare them for the college and work environments. Adapting to Business Needs In response to area business needs, in 1999 the school's Occupational Advisory Committee (OAC) encouraged Middle Bucks to add Microsoft Office Specialist certification to its computer-training program. Dr. David Streelman, Manager of Analytical and Computational Technology at Rohm and Haas Company, emphasizes, "Microsoft Office skills are relevant for all professional employees, from scientists to administrative assistants. To me it's a given that incoming Ph.D. employees have Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills. Office Specialist certification helps me confirm that candidates possess these skills." Dr. Streelman, also OAC Chairman for Middle Bucks, helps the school align its curriculum to the needs of the business community. One compelling need is hiring, and in today's competitive market, he says, "Certification helps narrow the field of candidates when hiring recent graduates. It also levels the playing field for those who don't have job experience."
Center For Social Development Education To help schools guide students in adjusting to the social and academic demandsof middle school, CSDE is the final year of Bridges to success in middle http://www.umb.edu/research/centers/csde/research/bridges.html
Extractions: University of Massachusetts Boston CSDE Home About the Center Staff Opportunities ... Policy The Bridges to Success in Middle School project involves school-wide orientation activities, as well as a curriculum for 6th grade students that includes helping students develop better study and organizational skills, time management, communication skills, problem solving skills, anger management, and stress management techniques. During the past four years, the Bridges to Success Curriculum has been taught by project staff as well as middle school teachers and guidance counselors in 42 classrooms, impacting approximately 900 students. During this final year, data is being analyzed to assess the impact of the Bridges to Success Curriculum. Qualitatively, the response from schools has been overwhelmingly positive. Also, during the past year, the Bridges to Success Curriculum has been extensively revised based on feedback received from teachers. This fall, the Bridges to Success Curriculum, the third in a series of CSDE curricula will be published by Jalmar Press as Moving to Middle School: Life Skills and Coping Skills for Successful Student Transition (by M. Wenz-Gross and colleagues) and like the other two curricula, it will be disseminated and available to schools throughout the country. Most importantly, the Bridges to Success in Middle School program continues to be implemented in school systems in the greater Boston area.
James C. Wright Middle School best meet the needs of our students at Wright middle school. benefit from supportgroups in the school that are focused on teaching skills for success. http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/wright/improvement/goals/0001/goal0001.htm
Extractions: (Year Two of a Multi-year Goal) Improvement Target 1: By the end of the 2000-2001 school year, all students will demonstrate increased respect for themselves, others and property, and will take personal responsibility for their actions. Rationale: A safe school environment that promotes self-respect and personal responsibility will enhance optimal learning and prepare the students for success in the future. School climate survey results have indicated significant improvement in all areas. Wright staff is interested in maintaining these gains, and enhancing our progress by examining how we could build curriculum focused on life skills into the classroom. Informal interviews with staff indicate that students need to continue to develop skills in the areas of respect and personal responsibility for their decisions and actions. Staff members also indicate that several of the components developed last year that provided incentives for students should continue and become part of our school culture. This will enhance the learning environments and create a greater sense of community in our school. Goal Measurement Strategies Reduced referrals to Panther Pride Fewer suspensions Increased student involvement in clubs Increased student involvement in support groups Promotion of a Positive Incentive Program that rewards respectful, responsible behavior
NMSA Executive Director Statement: NOW MORE THAN EVER big elementary kids, nor little high school students. Level Teachers, NMSA states, middle school teachers must be adolescent development, the success of the http://www.nmsa.org/news/trusteestatement_qualityteachers.htm
Extractions: A Statement by National Middle School Association Board of Trustees Click to see the Press Release Quality Teachers Must Have Content Knowledge and Know How to Teach That Knowledge to Young Adolescents Students in America's middle level schools deserve and require teachers that know the content of the subjects they teach and have the knowledge and skills to teach those subjects successfully. Without both, students will not learn to their full capacities and middle level schools will fail to meet the expectations of parents and community members. The U.S. Department of Education has issued a report on teacher quality, Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge , in which it contends that teacher education programs are not producing the quality of teachers needed in our nation. Among other recommendations, the report asserts that states should lower the number of "methods" courses prospective teachers are required to complete and reduce the number of teacher preparation requirements. National Middle School Association believes that there must be a balance in teacher preparation programs. Prospective teachers must learn the content of subjects they teach, but they also must be knowledgeable about the development of their students and have the specialized instructional skills to capitalize on that knowledge. Focusing exclusively or predominantly on content knowledge, at the expense of professional preparation "methods" training, will be less effective in the overall learning of middle level students.
Students Wade Their Way To Success the River, a program at Longfellow middle school in this a key to its ongoing success,school administrators say into a yearround school, students will spend http://www.usatoday.com/life/teacher/teachriver.htm
Extractions: Nomination forms for the All-USA Teacher Team "You have to be quiet or you're going to spook the fish," teacher Matt Andersen cautions the group as two students climb into their wading boots and step into the shallow waters. Their silence is rewarded. Within minutes, bluegills, large-mouth, small-mouth and rock bass, a sunfish and shiners flip and flop inside a swath of net the students have dragged through the water and onto the shoreline. "An excellent catch," Andersen proclaims. So goes another afternoon at the School on the River, a program at Longfellow Middle School in this town of 52,500 that ties the area's greatest natural resource, the mighty Mississippi River, to all aspects of the classroom, from science to literature to history to math.
American School Counselor Association industry to provide meaningful career exploration opportunities for all students. areequally important to the success of a middle school counseling program http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.cfm?L1=1000&L2=78
Aspiring Youth - Success Stories get a certificate, but only the good students get trophies While reading some ofyour success stories, I of the Aspiring Youth Program while in middle school. http://www.aspiringyouth.org/success.html
Extractions: SUCCESS STORIES Celebrating a "Decade of Service" for the Aspiring Youth After-School Programs from 1992-2002. Keith's Story Aspiring Youth® operates the Aspiring Youth After-School Program to assist at-risk youth like Keith one student at a time. Keith was a juvenile delinquent when he entered middle school in 1993 as a 7th grade student. Keith´s middle school is located in a low-income area and has some of the lowest test scores in Houston. Keith had been arrested by the police and was ordered to appear in Juvenile Court before Judge Andell. Keith had made some bad choices and his situation was so serious that his juvenile probation officer visited the school three times a week to make sure that Keith was showing up for classes and not causing trouble. Two of the coaches working with the Aspiring Youth After-School Program at the school thought that Keith would benefit from the Program. The coaches encouraged Keith to participate in the Program and Keith agreed. Keith listened to the positive role models who told him that he could become successful; he studied in the after-school tutorials led by the paid teachers and coaches; he enjoyed the camaraderie and learned sportsmanship on the basketball court; and he appreciated the healthy snack. Keith liked the Aspiring Youth After-School Program so much that he participated again when he was in the eighth grade. ... the Rest of Keith´s Story In the spring of 1998 and 1999, Keith participated in the Aspiring Youth After-School Program again.
Grades 6-8 Overview So while middle school math may look tedious, and unconnected to the more interestingthings in big math, it is a big part of the success students can http://www.suzannesutton.com/grades6_8over.htm
Extractions: Math Magazine Free Newsletter Math Bags PTA Programs ... Contact Us! Grades 6-8 Middle school math can be troubling for students and those who love them. The math can get difficult, and sometimes it even seems boring. The world is expanding for middle school students, with so many things pulling on their interests and their time. Math homework can seem like something to rush through, and "get done." Students feel an urge to race through assignments to get to the things they'd rather be doing. But middle school math is the foundation that will determine their success in all high school math courses, and determine their experience and enjoyment of it. So while middle school math may look tedious, and unconnected to the more interesting things in "big math," it is a big part of the success students can achieve in high school, college admissions tests, and college itself - regardless of their field. We can help them deepen that foundation, whet their appetite, and make the journey far less dull and agonizing. Dealing with Boredom Tax-time!
Birdscope - Using Birds To Teach Science Using Birds to teach Science by Rick Bonney. Elementary and middle school studentslearn scientific methods gathering of the new curriculum was a great success. http://birds.cornell.edu/publications/birdscope/Summer1997/CFW97113.htm
Extractions: for Classroom FeederWatch Last year, we sent our new Classroom FeederWatch (CFW) curriculum to 60 schoolteachers across the United States to field test in their classrooms. Judging from the responses of participating classrooms, the field test of the new curriculum was a great success. This comment from teacher Susan Botts of the Southwest Middle School in Orlando, Florida, was typical: "I am totally fascinated by the expertise and confidence the children in my class have at bird identification. Classroom FeederWatch has provided them with an interest and enthusiasm in their environment and the local birds and their habitat." Based on Project FeederWatch, CFW is a bird education and research project aimed at elementary and middle school students that was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and TERC, an educational research and development organization, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Each of the participating classrooms received a curriculum package last fall, and the students have been testing the materials all year. The curriculum, which is keyed to the recently published National Science Standards, includes
Extractions: var wtl_loc = document.URL.indexOf('https:')==0?'https://a248.e.akamai.net/v/248/2120/1d/download.akamai.com/crs/lgsitewise.js':'http://crs.akamai.com/crs/lgsitewise.js'; document.write(""); var SERVER= ""; var ORDER= ""; var INVOICE= ""; var CARTVIEW= ""; var CARTADD= ""; var CARTREMOVE= ""; var CHECKOUT= ""; var CARTBUY= ""; var ADCAMPAIGN= ""; var adname=""; Students were asked to invite a parent, grandparent, or any other interested adult, to visit the local schools one night each week. Working together on the laptop computers, students and adults collaborated closely on web-based research on any desired topic. The teams then used iMovie to capture their findings on video. Students, Parents Trade Places
Technology Success Stories Submitted by Kimberley D'Adamo Frick middle school 157823. classes, these specialed. students feel they Return to the Technology success Stories summary page. http://67.104.102.68/externalsurvey/techsuccess/tsstory.asp
Extractions: Technology Success Stories Teachers across the country are doing great things in their classrooms and communities with the help of new technologies. Weve received lots of technology success stories and have selected some that we hope you'll enjoy. If you'd like to share your own success story, please e-mail us at NTA@qeddata.com or click here . All submissions will be reviewed and selected stories will be posted on our Web site. We will contact you if your submission is selected. Update your school's Technology Information Return to the Technology Success Stories summary page. Ozarks Effort Brings Computer Skills to Isolated Community Donna Casto Email: dcasto@ws.oursc.k12.ar.us I have written many grants to provide computers and Internet access to Witts Springs students. Through grants from the federal government and the Rockefeller Foundation, I have been able to connect every computer in school to the Internet and to put multimedia computers (minimum of 4) in every classroom. We have also involved students by creating a technology club and training them to help adults work with computers. We offer classes to adults at night at the school and the students work as assistants to the instructor to help adults become comfortable with computers and learn how to use various types of software. Our students are becoming very computer savvy and are learning skills that will serve them well in their future careers as well as in school.
Middle School Info study skills, including technology skills, necessary for success in middle schoolcourses Teachers design a variety of activities that help students to learn http://www.opusd.k12.ca.us/calnews/Summer/5-7_programs.htm
Extractions: Grade levels listed are for the CURRENT GRADE LEVEL for the elementary and middle school programs. Grade levels listed for the high school are for the students grade level placement in the fall. The middle school program for grades 5-7 will be held at Medea Creek Middle School. Grade 8 see High School. Middle School Summer School is a 4-week program from June 19-July 19. July 4 and 5 will be holidays. Hours will be 8:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. M-F Middle School REGISTRATION (Gr. 5-7) will be on Saturday, April 27 from 8:30-11:00 a.m. at Medea Creek Middle School. A Make-Up day for registration will be available on Thursday, May 30 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Oak Hills Elementary School. Parents are strongly advised to register on April 27 as most classes will be full by 11:00 a.m. that day. After those dates, parents may attempt to register their students for summer school on the first day of Summer School at the school site on a space-available basis. There are usually no spaces left for most classes at that time so parents are urged to plan ahead and register on April 27. Registration forms will be available only at the registration stations on April 27 and May 30. You will be required to provide us with Emergency Contact information such as relatives or friends.
Undergraduate TAs Help Middle School Students pigs of the program, aiding the middleschool students in their As a result of thatinitial success, the program often learn just as much as their students. http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/02/11.14.02/TAs.html
Extractions: By Briana Collins '03 When Michel Louge met with his daughter Claire's technology education teachers at DeWitt Middle School in Ithaca nearly three years ago, he had no idea that the meeting would change not only his own child's education but also that of all current and future eighth-graders in classes taught by Bob Walters and Dave Buchner, the school's two technology education teachers. Mechanical and aerospace engineering Professor Michel Louge, right, and teaching assistant Dan Murphy '03, left, work with DeWitt Middle School eighth-graders Katirae Palmer and Crystal Sanchez, while Bob Walters, technology education teacher at DeWitt, looks on. Charles Harrington/University Photography The main problem, Louge was told, was "that these kids asked so many questions all at once the teachers were sometimes overwhelmed," recalled Louge, a French-born Cornell professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. "I thought, gee, maybe I can help." And help he did. In February 2000 Louge began a program for Cornell engineering undergraduates enrolled in ENGR 490: Independent Studies to become teaching assistants (TAs) in Walters' and Buchner's eighth-grade technology education classes.
Extractions: 1. Q: Does CTB have any research proving its effectiveness? A: Yes. Several short- and long-term studies, conducted by respected research institutions, provide statistical and attitudinal evidence of the effectiveness of Choosing the Best . A study completed by Northwestern University among nearly 4,000 middle school students showed that 75% of all students indicated an intention to be abstinent until marriage AND 60% of students who had previously had sex indicated an intention to be abstinent in the future. A one-year follow-up study found a 54% reduction in recently sexually active students compared to a year ago. To view detailed results from this and other completed research on Choosing the Best curricula and to learn more about research in progress, please click here.
