“…some middle school experts argue that school reconfiguration is a
costly distraction from what adolescents really need: smaller classes,
an engaging curriculum, personalized attention and well-prepared
teachers.”
I agree!
Instead of looking at complicated school reconfigurations, I would take a much more grass-roots approach. No matter where they are, children in middle-school need classes tailored to their needs – as Patrick Montesano stated in the passage I quoted above, from
Taking Middle Schoolers Out of the Middle
By ELISSA GOOTMAN Published: January 22, 2007 in the New York Times.
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The article talks about k-8 schools, 6-8 schools, 6-12 schools. I think that looking at structure change is talking around the issue. We need to be looking at good, solid teaching and administrative practice that is based in research about how middle school students learn. Just like any other level should have good solid professional practice based in current research that is specific to them.
No matter where they are, if the teachers who work with them are using methods such as differentiated instruction that looks towards students’ learning styles, interests, abilities and knowledge as a starting point to plan activities that point towards specific goals or competencies, then we’d be onto something!
(picture from article cited above)
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