Citizens Facilities Committee
Final Report
July 21, 2003
VII. The Middle School Concept
Background:
As the CFC visited schools and spoke with administrators in the Millbrook and other School Districts, the members learned a great deal about the Middle School Concept and the education of children in Middle School grade levels. The committee felt it was a good idea to share some of the knowledge it gained about the Middle School Concept in the process of its investigation.Information Sources: New York Middle School Association www.nysmsa.org
National Middle School Association www.nmsa.orgThe transition from childhood to adolescence is important to the academic and personal development of children. The success of middle school aged children is a forerunner of success in high school. Children function best if there is a smooth and adequately timed transition between the self-contained classroom of elementary school and the departmentalized structure of high school. It is unfair to impose the high school structure on middle school aged children. Likewise it is unfair to restrict them to an elementary school structure. It is not uncommon for school districts to show high marks on standardized assessments of elementary school children and lower marks on standardized assessments of middle school aged children.
Middle-level students have unique characteristics marked by dramatic and rapid physical, intellectual and social change. It is a time of accelerated growth and hormonal changes, accompanied by an increase in weight, height and muscular strength. For many children it is an awkward and confusing time of life. Children of this age group show a desire and need for direction as well as for independence. They prefer active learning as opposed to passive learning. They do well when they have the ability to develop long-term relationships with teachers.
The changes that occur to children in early adolescence are inevitable and influenced by societal factors. The children are transitioning from concrete to abstract thinking. They show a strong need to belong to a group. While they are dependent on parental values, they seek to make their own decisions. This developmental stage is often associated with a decline in self-esteem. Early adolescence is a period of both enormous opportunity and risks. Many reach late adolescence and adulthood healthy and ready for life’s challenges. But for many the social institutions that are supposed to provide real and equal opportunities to them are inadequate. The needs and characteristics of young adolescents today and in 1989 are similar. What has changed are the short and long-term consequences if their educational and personal needs are not met (c.f. Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century, Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989). The achievement and success of early adolescent children depends on academic expectations and depends on strong personal support. Early adolescent children are more likely to question the value of what they are expected to learn. By connecting learning to the world outside of school, students find meaning and motivation to do well in school. There is a strong synergy between academic and personal programs. Research has revealed that programs that focus on academic and youth development achieve positive results in both areas. Research done to determine if middle schools result in higher achievement than junior high schools yield varied results (NMSA Research Summary #12, Academic Achievement, www.nmsa.org/research/ressum12.htm). Researchers point out though that the inconclusive nature of research findings are due, in part, to the effects of extraneous variables on outcomes. Some junior high schools contain middle school components and vice versa. However, schools that implement more Turning Points recommendations show greatest gains in student outcomes (c.f. Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century, Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989).
A middle school program should allow for teacher teams to share responsibility for education and personal development of a common group of students. It is difficult for teachers and administrators to work with junior as well as senior high school students. They tend to assume the teaching techniques used for teaching senior high school students. A middle school program should include common planning time for those teachers and teacher teams. Schedules in a middle school program should be flexible enough to allow and encourage interdisciplinary programs. A middle school program should provide age appropriate guidance, counseling and health related services to all students. See also NMSA Research Summary #4, Exemplary Middle Schools, www.nmsa.org/research/ressum4.htm for a discussion of the five key components of an exemplary middle school.
Academic requirements have increased in the last ten years and will continue to increase as the No Child Left Behind legislation begins to take shape. Teaching young adolescents using techniques and strategies that are matched to their developmental characteristics will allow these children a fair chance to prepare for high school and ultimately prepare for the stiff competition they will increasingly face for college and job placement.