After witnessing a lack of academic achievement for several decades, educators nationwide have debated where to place 11-to-14-year-olds in school. Do school districts expand elementary schools to accommodate these students? Or should these students be placed in traditional middle schools designed for sixth through eighth graders?
Those who favor extending elementary school say such students should not be thrust into a new environment since they are undergoing emotional, physical, and social changes. Opponents argue that 11-to-14-year-old students would benefit by making the transition because they would be in the presence of older role models, and would be reminded of concrete goals, such as pursuing a college education.
Researchers at John Hopkins University have concluded that expanding elementary schools to sixth, seventh, and eighth grades does not help adolescents perform better academically. The researchers came to this conclusion following a multi-year study of Philadelphia’s newest schools for grades K–8.
Although many of the nation’s urban school systems are returning to the practice of placing adolescents in schools with elementary students to boost student achievement, some school systems are taking the opposite approach to the middle grades challenge. Instead of extending elementary schools, these school systems are joining middle school and high school grades in a way that emulates some elite private and public schools. Education reformers say a rigorous six-or seven-year curriculum, within a single school extending through twelfth grade, offers the best hope for student success in K–12 education.
Read more about these issues and how they are impacting local school districts nationwide. Please note that some articles require free registration.
Study Raises Doubts on K–8
Baltimore Sun (Requires free registration)
Taking the Middle Schoolers Out of the Middle
New York Times (Requires free registration)
Junior High
Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
Tailoring Learning to Tough Middle Years
Baltimore Sun (Requires free registration)
Superintendent Emphasizes Middle Schools
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IPS Considers Year-Round Middle School
Indianapolis Star