For many American middle schools,
achievement is not the top priority
Many kids make it or break it the middle grades -- either they acquire the
academic knowledge and skills they need to achieve in high school (and life),
or they fall so far behind they drop out or drift through high school with
little hope of a successful future.
Sadly, many students in America's middle schoolsare adrift. The
results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS)
tell the story. While 4th graders in the United States rank among the top
five nations in math and science skills, by the end of 8th grade, the performance
of American middle schools ranks below many third-world countries.
This achievement gap is most acute among our nation's poorest students who
attend rural and inner-city schools. Some of these students may be lucky
enough to have teachers and principals who care, but those caring educators
often fail to push their students to achieve academically.
In many middle schools that serve large numbers of poor kids, the students'
diverse needs simply overwhelm the teaching and learning process. The focus
of the school shifts from academic achievement to student support. This
is even more likely in schools where the academic mission is unclear, and
where standards vary from classroom to classroom. Precisely because the
lives of so many kids are dangerous, troubled, and stressful, these middle
schools must be challenged to help their students develop high levels of
competence.
But let's not let schools with a more middle-class profile off the hook.
The truth is, very few middle schools anywhere in America provide a sufficiently
rigorous and challenging academic environment for their students. The test
scores may look better in the suburbs, but the evidence suggests that thousands
of complacent middle schools are also wasting student potential.
From the point of view of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the goal
of reform is both simple and daunting: Every student should be able to meet
high standards in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies
by the end of eighth grade. To reach that goal, the Foundation believes,
educators and communities must first face the hard reality that current
practices do not produce the results students need. Only principals and
teachers can change these practices. Rather than focus obsessively on what
they do not control, educators need to recognize what they do control and
use the power they have to reform themselves and their schools in ways that
will increase student achievement.
"Middle school reform," says Hayes Mizell, director of Clark's
Program for Student Achievement, "requires the courage to question
long-standing assumptions, the determination to break away from negative
attitudes and ineffective curricula and teaching methodologies, the humility
to recognize that maybe someone else has knowledge and experience from which
you can learn, and the resourcefulness to look both within and beyond the
local school and the local school system for promising practices. It requires
risk-taking. It requires putting the achievement of your students first
and letting nothing stand in the way. It is the most difficult and important
work imaginable."
MiddleWeb challenges all middle schools and middle grades
educators to reexamine themselves and reject the common wisdom that middle
schoolers are developmentally unprepared for high academic achievement.
We report on schools and educators who are exploding that myth, and we offer
resources and ideas that determined teachers and principals can use to break
the cycle of underachievement that condemns so many young adolescents to
a life of low expectations.
More quotes about the "whys"
of urban middle school reform
A parent questions current middle school
trends -- and gets some answers
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's Program
for Student Achievement currently supports standards-based middle grades
reform in six U.S. cities: Chattanooga (TN), Corpus Christi (TX), Long Beach
(CA), Louisville (KY), Minneapolis (MN), and San Diego (CA). Four of these
districts (Corpus Christi, Long Beach, Louisville, and San Diego) have been
invited to submit grant proposals for 1998-2000.
The Focused Reporting Project -- a team of
education writers and researchers -- publishes regular community reports
on the progress of middle grades reform in Long Beach and Louisville and
has also published several reports about Chattanooga.
Home | Latest Updates
| Newswatch | MiddleWeb
Index | Reforming Schools | Links