This book is organized into two parts. Part I contains five chapters that focus on current research on the status of the middle school concept. Chapter authors look critically at some of the essential components of the middle school philosophy: advisory programs, teaming, effective middle level teaching, curriculum, and flexible scheduling. In addition to providing the reader with a comprehensive review of the literature on each topic, many of the authors in Part I of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education have offered the reader empirical data and insights from recent studies they have conducted. Part Two provides the framework for moving middle level reform forward into the 21st century. The preparation of teachers and administrators to effectively work in middle schools and to implement middle level reform has not been given serious enough attention. As in many educational reform initiatives, there were expectations that practitioners in the field would know how to...