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Middle grades configurations and small schools.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

A literature debate currently exists as to whether early adolescents should be schooled in K-8 configurations or whether they should attend middle schools. The issue is especially important for smaller school districts housed on a single campus. The authors discuss the views of the two sides in this paper and suggest a third, less contentious alternative that melds the best of both worlds: small, truly K-12 schools in which the concepts previously promulgated only by middle school advocates are in effect for the benefit of all students.

Introduction

Research agrees that young adolescents have common needs at this stage of their development that schools need to meet. These are: 1) competence and achievement, 2) opportunities for exploration and self definition, 3) creative expression, 4) physical activity, 5) positive social interaction with adults and peers, 6) structure and clear limits, and 7) meaningful participation in family, school, and community activities (Jackson & Davis, 2000; NMSA, 2003).

Citing unfulfilled promises of the middle school concept and the need to increase student achievement at the middle level (Lewis, 2006; Scherer, 2006), many school districts are involved in configuration renovations that range from tentative exploration to wholesale remodeling of their elementary and middle level school structure.

Middle school advocates claim that only middle schools and their teachers are equipped to address the students' needs at this age (Weiss & Kipnes, 2006), while K-8 advocates argue that elementary teachers already address these needs by focusing on building a nurturing school environment (Gootman, 2006a &b). This discussion leaves small schools unable to decide which school structure will work best for their young adolescents. Many small schools are facing the pressures of meeting the mandates of No Child Left Behind Act and Adequate Yearly Progress and are being forced into consolidation. These schools are now trying to determine if keeping their early adolescents in separate buildings or configuring their grades into K-8 and 9-12 will better meet their adolescents' developmental needs. Unfortunately, the recent research is divided on the matter as it will be illustrated in this paper. The authors will present the argument of the two schools of thought and discuss the implications of these views for small schools.

Literature Review

The concept of middle schools as a replacement for junior high schools made its debut in the 1950s, gradually rose in popularity over the next three decades to a peak in the 1980s, and began to fall from favor in the 1990s (Weiss and Kipnes, 2006). According to...

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