26: Issues-centered Curricula and Instruction at the Middle Level

Whether adults wish to believe it or not, early adolescents are definitely aware of, if not influenced and plagued by, many of the key social issues of our times. How could it be otherwise when the media—radio, television, newspapers, and magazines—flood our homes and schools daily with more and more information about the latest problems and issues facing Americans. Indeed, it is astounding to consider what sitcoms, talk shows, television movies, compact discs, and videos disseminate to our young people. Through such means, they may witness tales of drug abuse, the homeless, racism, discrimination, genocide, child and spouse abuse, gang warfare, degradation of the environment, and poverty. That does not even take into consideration what young adolescents see, hear, and experience in their own homes, schools, and communities.