From the ECS State Policy Database: Middle School - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Commonalities of Georgia's Successful Middle Schools - Recognizing the need to prevent high school dropouts, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education commissioned research first on successful high schools and then on middle schools, since the seeds that produce high school failure are sown in grades five through eight. Successful middle schools were identified based on predetermined criteria. The data are compared and contrasted and analyses are documented and reported for use by Georgia educational leaders. (Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, August 2011)...

South Carolina Middle Grades Task Force - In August 1999, Governor Jim Hodges created the South Carolina Middle Grades Task Force to address various issues facing middle schools. The task force was charged with recommending ways to enhance the preservice and continuing preparation of middle school teachers, to strengthen the cadre of middle school principals, and to achieve academic rigor in middle grade schools and promote academic success. The task force’s preliminary report is available online. (South Carolina State Department of Education, 2000)...