"This monograph is a comprehensive assessment of the American middle school. It presents observations on a variety of very real issues - troubling social climates and associated behavioral problems, teachers who lack subject matter expertise, parents who seem uninvolved, among others. The authors offer ways of tackling these issues: reassessing the organization of grades K-12; specifically assisting the students most in need; finding ways to prevent disciplinary problems; working with proven professional-development models; helping parents understand the schools goals and methods and how they can help their children learn at home; and exploring how other countries promote the well-being of and provide positive school climates for students of comparable age to support academic achievement."--BOOK JACKET