Solutions for Middle Schools

As an 8th grade teacher, I was excited (and simultaneously filled with cynicism) to see a headline on the Baltimore Sun's Education page titled "Plan Targets Middle Schools." The article notes that more than a third of high school freshman currently have a D average, or are failing in Anne Arundel County. This alarming percentage led a task-force to look closely at where middle schools are falling short in preparing students for high school, and what can be done to improve them.

I find myself overwhelmed with this question on a daily basis-- how can we make our middle schools places that provide students with intellectually rigorous curricula and character-development skills to transition smoothly through their adolescence and confidently enter high school? In conversations with friends and colleagues, we lament that our middle schools are just the opposite. Students aren't given basic responsibilities (they must walk in lines, have few bathroom breaks) and teachers don't feel like they have support or resources to handle disruptions (in-school suspension, consistent administrative backing). I'm not saying anything you haven't heard/felt before. Ok, maybe we'll always have to line 8th graders up and walk them to lunch. What I feel is more heartbreaking is the absence of incentives for middle school kids-- clubs, sports, honors classes, electives (other than health and remedial reading), guest speakers, meaningful field trips-- parts of school that make them feel valued and that school is something to care about.

The study in Anne Arundel County yielded results for improving middle schools that many of us would see as obvious: a longer school day, smaller class sizes, "beefed-up" social studies & science curricula, and more social workers, counselors & security personnel. The Anne Arundel County superintendent responded that a longer school day would be tricky to negotiate with union contracts, but the other suggestions would help create a more "personal" school environment. He cited the success of high school advisories and academy programs within larger high schools that make students feel personally connected to their school, and valued members of the community.

If middle schools adopted the same concept- instilling responsibility in students by making them feel personally valued in school- I believe our 6th, 7th and 8th graders would better equipped to make good choices in the future.

To view the Baltimore Sun article, click here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-ar.middle23mar23,0,7267762.story?coll=bal-education-top