AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2008 > October > 03
Friday, October 3, 2008
Middle schools: revise or redesign
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spent yesterday at the Education in Georgia conference hosted by UGA’s College of Education. The daylong event brought together educators and policymakers to talk about problems and trends.
One of the more interesting sessions focused on middle schools. The speakers talked about the need for more teacher training, for principals who are trained to work with this age group, for increased student counseling and for more interdisciplinary work with the different subjects.
The discussions focused on the assumption that the overall middle school design works. But is that true?
Test scores drop when students enter middle school - just look at the 8th grade math CRCT that nearly 40 percent of the students failed. Discipline problems rise. Teachers often say that students who struggle in middle school are more likely to drop out.
Can tweaking middle schools save them or do we need to redo the entire approach? What would the perfect middle school look like?
NOTE: I know many of you had difficulty posting yesterday. There were technical problems but I’m hoping things run smoothly today. Please contact me if problems continue.
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
