2008 Woodie Awards
Editor's Column: Middle school blues
Issue date: 1/24/07 Section: Opinion
With high school drop out rates steadily increasing, school and government officials are desperate to find a solution fast. Unfortunately, the situation is not one with a cut and dry response. As speculators approach this predicament with configurations such as the traditional K-8 school approach to a more experimental move toward grade 6-12 schools. From New York to Philadelphia, these backers of these proposals are optimistic, but it seems that they are seeking a miracle from a social solution that will do little in the way of promoting a life of academia.
Advocates of extended grade school systems, such as Paul Vallas, the chief educator of Philadelphia's school system, and those in favor of the extended high school model agree that middle schools put an added transition into an already tumultuous time for emerging adolescents. They claim that eradicating middle schools will allow for older, more mature role models to take hold of young students at an earlier age. However, this time period isn't necessarily what is hurting student's academic performance. It seems that these efforts are wrongly focused on a single factor, when there are multiple factors contributing to a decline in high school graduation rates. Shouldn't the emphasis of an educational institution be put on improving the educational value of the curriculum and preparation for higher education and real world social situations rather than aiding our children in growing up too fast? Educators are overly confident in the elder youth of these potential education systems. In fact it is probable that some of these changes can be damaging to coming generations.
One negative impact of such changes would be the extent to which relationships develop between younger and older students. While one New York City educator claims that his staff is able to cut off inappropriate romantic relations between 11th graders and 8th graders, these claims are na've. Rules and regulations may be strictly enforced in such an environment; however, the fact that these age groups are introduced to each other will be enough to open doors to serious problems outside of the schoolhouse doors.
Although the idea behind a shift in grades would be to bring new role models in for young students, whether or not these role models act as good influences on these students is out of the centralized control of an educational institution. While some older children may like the idea of being "role models" to younger children, this means that all of their behavior is being observed and replicated at all times, both good and bad. School officials are admitting careful planning to control traffic patterns and limit interaction between younger and older students, but isn't this interaction the reason for integrating middle schools into other schools in the first place? In an age where kids are drinking alcohol in larger amounts, demanding more independence, and experimenting with sex regularly, all at a younger and younger age, introducing real life examples of "more mature" behavior to children cannot be the best course of action to take.
Advocates of extended grade school systems, such as Paul Vallas, the chief educator of Philadelphia's school system, and those in favor of the extended high school model agree that middle schools put an added transition into an already tumultuous time for emerging adolescents. They claim that eradicating middle schools will allow for older, more mature role models to take hold of young students at an earlier age. However, this time period isn't necessarily what is hurting student's academic performance. It seems that these efforts are wrongly focused on a single factor, when there are multiple factors contributing to a decline in high school graduation rates. Shouldn't the emphasis of an educational institution be put on improving the educational value of the curriculum and preparation for higher education and real world social situations rather than aiding our children in growing up too fast? Educators are overly confident in the elder youth of these potential education systems. In fact it is probable that some of these changes can be damaging to coming generations.
One negative impact of such changes would be the extent to which relationships develop between younger and older students. While one New York City educator claims that his staff is able to cut off inappropriate romantic relations between 11th graders and 8th graders, these claims are na've. Rules and regulations may be strictly enforced in such an environment; however, the fact that these age groups are introduced to each other will be enough to open doors to serious problems outside of the schoolhouse doors.
Although the idea behind a shift in grades would be to bring new role models in for young students, whether or not these role models act as good influences on these students is out of the centralized control of an educational institution. While some older children may like the idea of being "role models" to younger children, this means that all of their behavior is being observed and replicated at all times, both good and bad. School officials are admitting careful planning to control traffic patterns and limit interaction between younger and older students, but isn't this interaction the reason for integrating middle schools into other schools in the first place? In an age where kids are drinking alcohol in larger amounts, demanding more independence, and experimenting with sex regularly, all at a younger and younger age, introducing real life examples of "more mature" behavior to children cannot be the best course of action to take.
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