The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education

Marc Notes: Sponsored by National Middle School Association; Bibl. ref. & index; Avail. in cloth. Publisher Marketing: The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education provides a comprehensive overview of the field. This publication includes seven anchor essays (5000 words) that cover the following topics: the history of the middle school movement; academically excellent curriculum, instruction, and assessment; developmental responsiveness in relation to young adolescents; social equity in middle grades schools; leadership in middle level schools; teacher and administrator preparation and professional development; and future directions in relation to the movement, practices, and policy. Leading scholars in the field of middle grades education were invited to author these essays. In addition to the seven anchor essays, the encyclopedia contains alphabetically organized entries (short entries approximately 500 words; long entries approximately 2000 words) that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, and seminal publications related to middle grades education. Contributors to the encyclopedia have provided sufficient information so that the reader can place the idea, concept, person, etc. into its proper context in the history of the middle school movement. the topic the reader is guided to more extensive sources for further investigation. Where appropriate, the reader is also directed to electronic sources such as websites where additional information can be retrieved. Contributor Bio:  Anfara, Vincent A, Jr. Vincent A. Anfara, Jr. is Associate Professor of Educational Administration and Policy Studies at The University of Tennessee. He received his Ph. D. in Educational Administration from the University of New Orleans in 1995. Before entering the professoriate he taught for 23 years in both middle and high schools in Louisiana and New Mexico. His research interests include middle school reform, leadership in middle schools, issues related to student achievement, and qualitative research methods. He is Past-President of AERA s Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group, the Chair of the National Middle School Association s (NMSA) Research Committee, and a board member of the Tennessee Association of Middle Schools (TAMS). His research has been published in Educational Researcher, Education and Urban Society, School Leadership, Leadership and Policy in Schools, and the NASSP Bulletin. His most recent book, From the Desk of the Middle School Principal: Leadership Responsive to the Needs of Young Adolescents (2002), was published by Scarecrow Press. He is the series editor of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education.