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This document provides information on STEM education publications that may be of interest to DR-K12 grantees for the purposes of (1) disseminating knowledge and products and (2) developing partnerships with stakeholders and end users. These publications were chosen because they provide researchers and developers with an opportunity to present their work to individuals that could use, promote, or improve the work. We gave preference to organizations and publications that target practitioners and policymakers, though we also included some focused on the research and academic communities. Information for this index was collected primarily from organization websites. Manuscript submission guidelines and notes were provided as available on the websites. We made our best attempt to identify whether submissions were peer-reviewed, though some publications were not explicitly clear on this matter.

A major national report that examines the crucial stage at which middle school students and their parents must begin to make choices about going to college. Parents of adolescent students are in a unique position to help ensure their children's success in postsecondary education as they could provide early guidance in the relevancy of college to success in life, academic preparation, and high educational aspirations.

Creating safe forums for students to voice their opinions can help them clarify their identity and develop their sense of empowerment. Examples of online platforms for publishing students' works are introduced: MidLink Magazine, ePals, Poetry.com, Children's Express, White Barn Press, Scholastic's "Writing with Writers," and Put it on the Web.

The value of using study guides to develop multiple literacies is discussed. Strategies of study guides development and the components should be included in the guides are also suggested. Wood, K. D. (2002). Using study guides to develop multiple literacies. Middle Ground, 6(2), 10-14.

Context of teacher learning is described. Strategies are suggested for promoting teacher learning. Maute, J. (2003). The spirit of teaching learning. Middle Ground, 6(3), 10-12.

Data-driven decision making often uncovers new and important information that can be persuasive enough to move us to action. The values of data-driven decision making is suggested. The 3-stage data-driven decision model is proposed. Streifer, P. A. (2003). Data-driven decision making: What it takes to make decisions. Middle Ground, 6(4), 10-13.

Curriculum integration involves not only helping students make connections across content areas, but also promoting democracy in the classroom. The concepts of curriculum integration are discussed. The reactions of teachers, students, and parents to curriculum integration are reported. Paterson, J. (2003). Curriculum integration in a standards-based world. Middle Ground, 7(1), 10-12.

Three paradigms related to teaming and how the might be revised to improve the quality of today's middle school programs are discussed: team configurations, teaming for interdisciplinary instruction, and teaming and advisory. Rottier, J. (2003). Variations on a team: changing paradigms. Middle Ground, 7(2), 10-12.

The Consortium for School Networking reports the emerging technologies in the areas of instruction and assessment and their characteristics. Recommendations for technology decision makers are also provided.

The benefits and criticism of increased assessment or testing are discussed. Increased testing helps teachers monitoring students' learning process and their own teaching strategies and school curriculum. The main criticism is "lack of value to education in its current incarnation." Suggestions of improved assessment are recommended.

This article addresses the actions the middle level schools which participated in NNPS have taken to meet the NCLB requirements. One of the actions is School-Parent Compact which is the partnership between school and family. Examples of the annual action plan of school-parent compact are provided. Epstein, J. L. (2004). Meeting NCLB requirements for family involvement. Middle Ground, 8(1), 14-17.

The roles of technology in students' performance assessment, teachers' professional development, data management, and teaching supports are discussed. Kalmbacher, S. (2004). Data to action technology's role in accountability. Middle Ground, 8(2), 12-15.

The concepts and importance of courageous leadership is explained. The impact on educators and on students is also addressed.

The former Principal Sherril Ray suggested a creative schedule as one strategy to meet students' needs at Furman Middle School in Sumter, South Carolina. Scheduling and associated academic activities are also provided as examples. McLeod, J. (2005). Kick-off, half-time, and over-time: Flexible scheduling scores points. Middle Ground, 8(4), 12-13.

Differentiating instruction is suggested to meet the needs of different students in a classroom. Strategies for conducting differentiating instruction are provided.

Having faculty collaborative teams to evaluate student works is proposed in this article. The standards related to content and performance of student works should be agreed among team members. Team members should also be willing to implement change. Garrison, C. (2006). Morn than paper load: What does all this student work tell us? Middle Ground, 9(3), 12-15.

In this article the authors illustrate how Peter Senge's 5 disciplines: (1) systems thinking, (2) personal mastery, (3) mental models, (4) building shared vision, and (5) team learning can be used for the development of a learning organization in middle schools. Thompson, S., & McKelvy, E. (2007). Shared vision, team learning and professional learning communities. Middle Ground, 10(3), 12-14.

High achieving students are just as desperate as any other students for good teachers to help them progress. Strategies to meet the needs of advanced learners are provided in this article. Rakow, S. (2007). All means all: Classrooms that work for advanced learners. Middle Ground, 11(1), 10-12.

Students achieve at higher levels when teachers think more deeply about how their classroom assessments fit into the larger instructional environment. Chappuis, S., & Stiggins, R. (2008). Finding balance: Assessment in the middle school classroom. Middle Ground, 12(2), 12-15.