1. Navigating the Middle School Expedition C. Kenneth McEwinTracy W. SmithAppalachian State University

2. Expedition An expedition typically refers to a longjourney or voyage undertaken for a specificpurpose, often exploratory, scientific,geographic, military or political in nature. 3. SO, WHAT IS THE MIDDLESCHOOL EXPEDITION? What is the purpose of the journey? What is the destination? What are the challenges we facealong the way? What tools do we need to besuccessful? 4. The Legacy of Middle School Leaders:In Their Own Words Project conceptualized in 2002 Investigation of a major educational reform inAmerican education the Middle SchoolMovement Design Book published in 2011 Major findings 5. Major Findings Topic Summary articulation and communication of theideology and identity of middle schooleducation implementation of the various and collectivecomponents of the middle school philosophy attention to the unique needs of youngadolescents the reorganization of middle schools; theinfluence of the middle school on Americaneducation 6. Major Findings Topic Summary the implementation of appropriate curriculum foryoung adolescents attention to appropriate teaching and learningpractices development of a substantial, scholarlyknowledge base commitment to specialized middle levelprofessional preparation and development the influence of policy, politics, andaccountability initiatives on middle schooleducation 7. Wanted: Middle Level Leaders! Leaders are needed to continuethe work that has been started onbehalf of young adolescents andthe schools that serve them. The passion and intellectualenergy that fueled those earlyyears of conceptualization andimplementation of middle schoolsis being extinguished by publicand governmental forces thatvalue quantitative data more thanresponsiveness to the needs ofyoung adolescents. 8. Representative RemarksPaul George discusses need for leadership and thestatus of the Middle School Movement as aneducational reform 9. Ideology and Identity of Middle School Education, 1 of 4 Early leaders - determined to right the wrongsin the way that young adolescents were beingeducated Clear ideas, honorable motives, variedbackgrounds and geographic locations The attraction to educating young adolescentshas often had a spiritual dimension. It has beencalled a moral imperative and a mission. 10. Ideology and Identity ofMiddle School Education, 2 of 4 Devoted energy to making middle schools lookand operate differently from their junior highschool predecessors. It was some years before they began collectivelyexamining and articulating their ideology aboutmiddle school education. In retrospect, some of the early leaders considerthis a great weakness of the Movement. 11. Ideology and Identity of Middle School Education, 3 of 4 Some participants believed that early leaders did have aclear ideology, one grounded in Progressive Education. Among them, John Arnold, James Beane, TomDickinson, Nancy Doda, Paul George, and JohnLounsbury, who described the Middle SchoolMovement as progressive education in contemporarydress. Perhaps it was not a lack of ideology that impaired theMovement but a failure to communicate that ideologyclearly, widely, loudly, or consistently enough. [JoanLipsitz video clip.] 12. Joan Lipsitz Discussing the starting of a movement 13. Ideology and Identity of Middle School Education, 4 of 4 In 1982, the National Middle School Associationpublished This We Believe, its landmark positionstatement about the organizations vision for schools foryoung adolescents. The Middle School ideology, then, has beencharacterized somewhat differently for those who havespent much of their professional lives inside it. At itscore is the intent to provide the best possible educationfor young adolescents. Individuals who have been involved have establishedtheir own positions about how that education mightlook and even why it is important. 14. Implementation of the Components ofthe Middle School Philosophy, 1 of 3 Participants characterized the implementation of middleschool practices and programs as disappointing and toofocused on structural changes. Current challenge: too many middle schools that toonarrowly define themselves. Many changed the schools name and gradeconfiguration from junior high to middle school; mayhave started to implement some of the middle levelorganizational structures such as teaming or blockscheduling, but they only began the journey and havestalled out. 15. Implementation, 2 of 3 Major mistake: implementing incrementally; leaders tried toimplement middle school practices a little at a time. We can no longer have a checklist or menu mentality aboutimplementing best practices for middle level schooling. Ken McEwin and Tom Gatewood recounted a propheticwarning Bill Alexander made very early in the MiddleSchool Movement: He [Bill] said we had to be reallycareful and not standardize the middle school. One of the problems with the junior high school was that itbecame the same everywhere; it became standardized. KenMcEwin maintained that there are certain essentialelements that ought to be in every middle school, but howthose are implemented depends on the students and teachersand the community. 16. Implementation, 3 of 3 The good news is that we now have a growing body ofresearch to support empirically the implementation ofmiddle school practices and structures. Middle schools that more authentically follow themiddle school concept (e.g., interdisciplinary teamorganization) have higher standardized test scores inreading and mathematics than do randomly selectedmiddle schools. Studies show that middle schools that have high levelsof implementation of programs and practices associatedwith the middle school concept have higherachievement scores than schools that have onlypartially implemented the middle school. 17. Attention to the Unique Needs of Young Adolescents, 1 of 3 Participants believe that young adolescents havebenefitted from the efforts of middle school initiatives. Joan Lipsitzs recollection helps us understand themagnitude of our progress in this area. She explainedthat when she wrote Growing Up Forgotten (1977),early adolescence was a non-field. Now, nearly 50 years after William Alexander proposedthe middle school in 1963 and nearly 40 years after thepublication of Growing Up Forgotten (1977), millionsof young adolescents have benefitted from an approachto education that was specifically conceived to attend totheir needs. 18. Attention to the Unique Needs of Young Adolescents, 2 of 3 Our most vulnerable students are the verystudents in middle school who need heightenedaffiliation, heightened intimacy, heightenedconnection with human beings, long termaccountability relationships with adults and otherkids. Participants such as Nancy Doda, Tom Gatewood,and John Lounsbury spoke about the power ofmiddle schools to provide places of affiliation foryoung adolescents and that such affiliation isconnected to academic accomplishment andpositive self-esteem. 19. Attention to the Unique Needs of Young Adolescents, 3 of 3 As with most aspects of education, we mustcommunicate more effectively about youngadolescents and their needs. We cannot let theportrayals of young adolescents in the mediaprevail as the publics perception of reality. As observed by Nancy Doda, We mustemphasize the wonderful, rich, beautiful,intellectual, philosophical, and spiritual side ofdevelopment. 20. The Reorganization of Middle Schools, 1 of 3 Using the definition of middle schools as thosecontaining grades 5-8, 6-8, and 7-8, there were4,884 middle schools in the United States in 1970.By 2008, there were 13,227 middle schools withthose organizational plans. We have now reached a professional and publicconsensus about what middle schools look like. Tom Dickinson noted that one of the successes ofthe Movement is that people understand that themiddle school is focused on development. 21. Reorganization, 2 of 3 Organizational approaches should reflect ideology,implementation, and responsiveness to young adolescents. Despite the progress and popularity of middle schoolorganization and the proven success of middle schoolpractices, organizational issues are not without controversy. Some middle school leaders remarked that the MiddleSchool Movement became too preoccupied withorganizational aspects of schools or proceduralorthodoxy. In recent years, the organizational focus has been changingto a more flexible understanding of middle schools. 22. Reorganization, 3 of 3 The reorganization of middle-level schools in Americahas been profound and far-reaching. Middle school is now a part of the educationestablishment. With the restructuring work behind us, middle schoolleaders can hope that the best is yet to come, that weare now positioned to get to the work of developing andproviding the best possible services and educationwithin those structures to maximize the potential ofyoung adolescents as the brightest human capital onearth. 23. Influence of the Middle School onAmerican Education, 1 of 2 Perhaps the most obvious influence is that the middle school haschanged the structure and continuum of American schools andschooling from a two-tiered system of elementary and secondaryto a three-tiered system of elementary, middle, and high school. The public has accepted middle school as a school, as anorganization. I think there is a general feeling that it needs to bedifferent from elementary, different from high school but its anecessary, separate entity of its own. John Lounsbury: Weve remade the face of American education,no question about it. Middle school is now seen and heardeverywhere. Raised awareness of young adolescence as an important anddistinct developmental stage. 24. The Influence of the Middle School on American Education, 2 of 2 Not all news is good. Howard Johnston suggested that middle schools have beenunfairly targeted as the weak link in the systemTheinstitution has never caught the imagination, or thecommitment, of the American people to the extent that itdeserves. Without governmental support of middle schools as a critical,unique tier in the American education system, we willcontinue to struggle for public support and commitment. We must examine our motives, our advocacy, our practices,and our role in American education. We must workcollaboratively to rededicate ourselves to present and futuregenerations of young adolescents. 25. Appropriate Curriculum for YoungAdolescents, 1 of 6 In our transcript data, the topic with the mostcoverage across our participants wascurriculum. In spite of the rich curriculum heritage of theMiddle School Movement, and perhapsbecause of it, almost all of our researchparticipants expressed disappointment aboutthe implementation of appropriate curriculumfor young adolescents. 26. Appropriate Curriculum, 2 of 6 I think curriculum, outside of the interdisciplinaryemphasis, has been one of the most neglected things in theMiddle School Movement. (John Arnold) If theres one indictment of the Movement that isonethat we did not pay attention to the curriculumprobably from day one as we should have because we hadan inheritance from the junior high school with the separatesubject curriculum which we should have looked at as partof our organizational changes and we didnt. (TomDickinson) 27. Curriculum, 3 of 6 Paul George concurred that our influenceon what the curriculum is has been far lessthan what our influences have been onschool organization like teaching, teamorganization, and flexible schedules andthat sort of thing. James Beane and Chris Stevensonremembered fondly specific moments andtimes when curriculum innovation onbehalf of young adolescents was alive, butlike many other participants, they spokewith regret about missed opportunities. 28. Curriculum, 4 of 6 Hindrances or barriers that have preventedmaximum success in the development of anappropriate curriculum for young adolescents: federal, state, and local mandates proliferation of public policies and practices thatcompel schools and teachers to segment knowledgefor the purpose of making teaching and the assessingof it more efficient tradition of separate-subject approach to curriculum 29. Curriculum, 5 of 6 The fate of integrated curriculum is oftendetermined more by outside factors than by anydebate about its educational merits. Tom Erb, Joan Lipsitz, Howard Johnston andother participants expressed that they valuestandards and their potential to influencecurriculum innovation for young adolescents.Without exception, it was the standardization ofcurriculum and the overemphasis on standardizedtests that our participants opposed. 30. Curriculum, 6 of 6 James Beane stated that the road to rigor with youngadolescents has to run through relevance. In the midst ofthe standards and accountability movement, and in spite ofit, middle level leaders persist in their belief that youngadolescents must be involved in making decisions abouttheir learning. It is most centrally what defines anappropriate curriculum for the age group. As the emphasis on standardized tests and curriculum hasincreased, exploratory teachers and their curriculum havebeen further alienated because time for their courses andstudents opportunities to attend their classes are often takenaway because time and resources are directed to teachingand remediating in the real subjects. 31. Attention to Appropriate Teaching andLearning Practices Participants expressed a positive view about innovations ininstruction for young adolescents. The Middle School Movement has been tremendouslyinfluential with regard to instruction. Middle school classrooms today more so than thirty or fortyyears ago involve much more hands-on, engaging typeactivities, to some degree projects, and to some degreeinter-disciplinary or multi-subject units and activities. Nancy Doda noted that teachers today are more likely toengage in collaborative teaching methods than they did inthe 1960s. She stated that generally speaking, middleschool classrooms today are livelier and more engaging inmethods and pedagogy than they were in the 1960s. 32. Development of a Substantial, Scholarly Knowledge Base A substantial, scholarly research base for middleschool education is important. Growing body of research related to middleschool education and young adolescence. Research has shown that implementing middleschool practices makes a positive difference foryoung adolescents. (Tom Erb, Ken McEwin) Middle school teachers have benefitted from agrowing body of descriptive data about what goodmiddle school teaching looks like. (John Arnold) Unanimous belief that more research is needed. 33. Specialized Middle Level ProfessionalPreparation and Development, 1 of 2 Without exception, participants in this study areadvocates of specialized middle level teacherpreparation. Critical to the success of young adolescentstudents and middle-level teachers whoseconfidence, effectiveness, and efficacy areincreased when they feel knowledgeable. Knowledgeable teachers are better positioned tolead innovative efforts on behalf of their students. 34. Specialized Middle Level Professional Preparation and Development, 2 of 2 The failure of the Middle School Movement toadvocate for and establish specialized middle schoolteacher education programs early became a barrier tomaximizing its progress. The overall course of action, it seems, is to do whateverwe can to support the training and preparation of allprofessionals (e.g., teachers, principals, counselors)who work with young adolescents in middle-levelschools so that they will feel prepared, confident, anddetermined to have an impact. Any other approach is the equivalent of malpractice.(Ken McEwin and Tom Dickinson) 35. Influence of Policy, Politics, and Accountability Initiatives, 1 of 2 State and national politics and policies affect educationat every level, and middle level education has beenespecially vulnerable to the changing tides of politics. At the state level, perhaps the two most influentialelements of policy are related to teacher licensure andthe curriculum. Many states now have specialized middle level teacherlicensure or endorsement. Also, many states have a curriculum that is divided intoelementary, middle, and high school levels. 36. Influence of Policy, Politics, and Accountability Initiatives, 2 of 2 Policies at the national level have not been so friendly tomiddle level education. Major national bills like Title I and No Child Left Behindreorient our schools. NCLB also narrowly defines teacher quality and studentsuccess. Joan Lipsitz seemed to suggest that we cannot merely rejectthe entire notion of public accountability. Rather, we mustoffer alternatives, ways to demonstrate that the time youngadolescents spend in our schools adds value to theirindividual lives and adds to the cohesion of our democraticsociety. 37. Current Status of Middle LevelEducation, 1 of 3Good News First More teachers than ever are more understanding andresponsive to young adolescents. The greatest asset of the Middle School Movement hasbeen a serious and more than rhetorical commitment toyoung adolescents. (James Beane) The middle school concept has brought more teachersinto better relationships with young adolescents. And Ithink it has made their lives better. I think they arehappier about being a teacher than they would havebeen had the concept not opened the door for them.(Beane) 38. Current Status of Middle LevelEducation, 2 of 3 We know more about best practices than weve everknown before; we know what good pedagogy lookslike; we know what good middle schools can look like;we know that the research supports these practices thatwe can articulate. Convergence of understanding about great teaching, theadvances of looking at quality of student work haveimproved conversations around teaching and learning. Middle school is established as a legitimate part of thecontinuum in K-12 American public education system. 39. Current Status of Middle Level Education, 3 of 3Bad News Lack of complete implementation. Described it variously as in limbo, in a pause, in neutral,stagnant, at a standstill, not growing, no new ideas, in a stateof arrested development, a plateau, losing ground, at a peak,but could be starting downhill, in a defensive mode, underassault, unfairly targeted as the emblem of school failure in theUnited States, shaky, struggling, a process of becoming, in forsome rough roads, fragile, being eroded, in trouble, thewhipping boy for public education. These words and phrases suggest that participants characterizethe Movement as being in a passive, neutral stance. They described their own dispositions as reluctantly cynical,wanting to be hopeful, and cautiously optimistic. 40. Movement In horology, a movement is the internal mechanism of a clockor watch, as opposed to the case, which encloses and protectsthe movement, and the face which displays the time. In the Middle School Movement, it seems we worked to createa model of a school, a case to enclose and protect youngadolescents and our beliefs about their sacredness. We also worked to communicate that model to others, toexpose the right face for middle schools. Some schools literally changed their faces by changing thesigns on their door from junior high school to middleschool. However, the essence of those schools, their innerworkings, were not fully developed. 41. Possibilities Fortunately, the middle school leaderswho participated in our study did notconcede defeat with a passivecharacterization of middle schooleducation. Rather, they offered many insights forreigniting Middle School Educationas a vibrant, dynamic, green andgrowing edge of educational reform. 42. Next Steps In light of this information and these findings,what do you see as your role in promoting anappropriate education for young adolescents inyour school, district, community, and state? How do you plan to navigate the expedition ofprogress in middle level education and reform?