DOUGLAS J. MACIVER
MARTHA A. MACIVER
ROBERT BALFANZ
STEPHEN B. PLANK
ALLEN RUBY2
Johns Hopkins University

The Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk has been
working since 1994 to develop, implement, and evaluate the talent development
middle school (TDMS) model. The goal of the TDMS model is to build on structural
reform recommendations and to establish the curriculum, instruction, school
organization, and professional development needed for all students to learn
challenging academic materials and prepare for successful futures. In this chapter,
we discuss (a) the TDMS model's development, (b) the implementation of the model
in several Philadelphia middle schools and plans for more widespread
implementation, and (c) research findings on student attitudes and achievement
gains that suggest the model is making a difference in the lives of young adolescents
placed at risk.

The signature practices for middle grades education that grew out of the
middle school movement, including detracking, cooperative learning,
exploratory classes, flexible scheduling, and the establishment of closer
relationships between students and teachers through advisory and
interdisciplinary teacher team approaches ( Carnegie Council on Adolescent

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