This first volume in the series, Curriculum and Instruction: Selections from Research to Guide Practice in Middle Grades Education is comprised of the following chapters largely drawn from the original book's section on academic excellence: -'Charting the Course of Curriculum Integration' by Mark Springer -'Differentiating Instruction as a Response to Academic Diversity' by Carol Ann Tomlinson -'Service-Learning: Connecting Curriculum to Community' by Katherine F. Thompson -'Technology in the Middle Grades Classroom' by Penny A. Bishop and John M. Downes -'Adolescent Literacies' by Donna Alvermann and David Moore -'Advancing Middle Grades Reform: Lessons Learned' by Gayle Andrews The chapters from Research to Guide Practice build on a tradition in middle grades education of synthesizing the best from the research literature in accessible and practical language. In keeping with that tradition, Volume 1 on curriculum and instruction will be a ready source of ideas to support improving young adolescents' experiences in and out of school.