Middle school

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Crispell Middle School, Pine Brush, New York, United States of America, The U.S.

The term Middle school, also known as Junior High school, most commonly used in the United States of America, is a school in the secondary educational system that usually bridges the gap between elementary and High school. In America, the exact organization varies from state to state, but most often middle schools consist of sixth, seventh and eighth grades, students usually being between the ages of 12-14.

Variations of middle schools exist in education systems around the world, although sometimes there is no designated bridge between elementary and high school.

Origin

A hallway at the Eckstein Middle School, Seattle, Washington

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The genesis for the middle school in the United States came in the late nineteenth century, with a major study by the president of Harvard University and the National Education Association's Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies published a study that outlined a re-organization of education in America. At the time, education was mostly broken up into elementary schools, which consisted of grades 1-8, and high schools, grades 9-12. The core argument of the study was that students would benefit from starting more advanced studies earlier in their education, and suggested that elementary schools be compromised of grades 1-6 and high schools grades 7-12. In 1909, the first junior high schools were established in Columbus, Ohio, compromising grades 7-8. It was not long before more junior high schools started to develop in other parts of the country. These schools were largely focused upon transitioning students from elementary studies to more advanced subjects and extracurricular activities, such as sports, in order to properly prepare students for high schools, which were seen as being the preparation for college.

In the middle of the twentieth century, a new movement began that eventually established the middle school. While junior high schools were popular, there were also areas for improvement. One of the difficulties with junior high schools were economic and logistical; establishing junior high schools for students who only attended for two years was an additional burden upon money and resources for many school districts. The short time span of junior high also meant that the social relationships of students became fractured and strained during the years between 6th and 9th grade. The first middle school in America opened in Bay City, Michigan, in 1950. Structured to host students from grades 6-8, the early middle school movement was based upon the belief that by the time students entered 6th grade, they were intellectually and socially advanced beyond the confines of elementary schools, and that as most students in sixth grade were of the age of puberty, and hence entering the first stages of adulthood, 6th grade was the appropriate grade to began to transition from elementary to secondary education. The spread of middle schools also helped logistical problems, such as overcrowding, and spread teachers and administrators more evenly among districts. Today, middle and junior high schools exist in America, and while often these terms can be used interchangibly, some districts divide grade structures differently among the two.

Organization

Like most other schools in America, middle schools can be either public or private institutions. Public middle schools are under the jurisdiction of local school boards and state education departments, and are usually funded by a mixture of local and state taxes. Many public school districts are set up so that the many different schools can work interconnectedily with one another in the flow and maturation of students, as such, middle schools work closely with elementary schools for incoming students, and with high school in regards to their graduating students. Private middle schools, while less populous than public schools, do exist in many areas of the United States. Some of these schools are religiously affliated, while others are secular and are more like Preparatory schools. Private schools are funded through endowments and tuition and as such are not under the regulation of local or state education agencies.

Both private and public middle schools often have similar administrative organizations. Usually a Principal, dean, or headmaster is in charge of the overall school operations, assisted by subordinate administrators. Most middle schools will also have a guidance staff, which helps plan student's schedules and act as advocates for a wide array of student needs. School psychologists, drug counselors, and social workers are sometimes also members of the staff.

Facilities

Most middle schools have facilities comparable to high schools, only on a smaller scale. In addition to regular classrooms, most middle schools are equipped with cafeterias to serve food to its students, gymnasiums for Physical education, auditoriums for assemblies and student performances, and health or Nurse's offices to ensure the daily safety of its student population. Depending upon budgeting and curriculum restraints, middle schools may also have laboratory facilities for science classes, art and musical rooms and equipment and computer rooms. Most middle schools will also have outside sport arenas, such as football, baseball, soccer and running tracks, sometimes a single area will be used for all such activities.

Cultural Variations

People's Republic of China

In the People's Republic of China, junior middle schools (chuzhong or 初中) refer to years 7–9. It covers the last 3 years of the 9-year compulsory education, which is subject to fees. At the end of the last year, the college-bound students take exams to enter high school (gaozhong or 高中) others wishing to continue their training may enter technical high school (中学专科/中专) or vocational school (职业学校).

Japan

In Japan, junior high schools, which cover years seven through nine, are called chū gakkō (中学校, literally, middle school). They are referred to as "junior high schools" in most conversations in English and are referred to by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as "lower secondary schools." Junior High school is the last stage of compulsory education in Japan, after which those that plan to continue to the "higher secondary schools" are required to pay a small fee.

New Zealand

In New Zealand intermediate schools cover years 7 and 8 (formerly known as form 1 and 2, with children aged 11-12) in areas where the local primary schools teach year 1 to year 6 students. Many primary schools however, do teach year 7 and 8. These primary schools may have a relationship with a nearby intermediate school to teach manual training classes such as woodwork. Recently, however, Junior High Schools covering years 7-10 (the four years between primary and NCEA, the national secondary qualification) have been established.

France

In France, the collège is the first level of secondary education in the French educational system. A child attending collège is called collégien (boy) or collégienne (girl). Men and women teachers at the collège- and lycée-level are called professeur (no official feminine professional form exists in France). Entry into the sixième year occurs directly after the last year of primary school, called cours moyen deuxième année (CM2). There is no entrance examination into collège, yet administrators have established a comprehensive academic examination for pupils starting sixième. The purpose of the examination is evaluating the pupil's level on being graduated from primary school.

Italy

In Italy, middle school (which is "scuola media" in Italian) refers to age between 10-11 and 13-14, lasting 3 years. At the end of the third year, students have to take a final test due to complete this grade. Middle school in Italy is the last compulsory year; however, starting to work at the age of 14 is actually illegal, so, even students who don't wish to keep studying anymore, usually take a short professional course (two years). Students who decide to end school at the age of 14, can either get a sabbatical or start working illegally.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, some English Local Education Authorities introduced Middle Schools in the 1960s and 1970s. The notion of Middle Schools was mooted by the Plowden Report of 1967 which proposed a change to a three-tier model including First schools for children aged between 5 and 8, Middle Schools for 8–12 year-olds, and then Upper or High Schools for 12–16 year-olds. Some authorities introduced Middle Schools for ideological reasons, in line with the report, while others did so for more pragmatic reasons relating to the raising of the school leaving age in compulsory education to 16, or to introduce a comprehensive system.

Different authorities introduced different age-range schools, although in the main, three models were used:

• 5–8 First Schools, followed by 8–12 Middle Schools, as suggested by Plowden
• 5–9 First Schools, followed by 9–13 Middle Schools
• 5–10 First Schools followed by 10–13 Middle Schools, or Intermediate Schools

In addition, some schools were provided as combined schools catering for pupils in the 5–12 age range as a combined first and middle school.

Around 2000 middle and combined schools were in place in the early 1980s. However, that number began to fall in the later 1980s with the introduction of the National Curriculum. The new curriculum's splits in Key Stages at age 11 encouraged the majority of Local Education Authorities to return to a two-tier system of Primary and Secondary schools.

Under current legislation, all middle schools must be deemed either primary or secondary. Thus, schools which accept pupils up to age 12 are entitled middle-deemed-primary, while those accepting pupils aged 13 or over are entitled middle-deemed-secondary. For statistical purposes, such schools are often included under primary and secondary categories "as deemed". Notably, most schools also follow teaching patterns in line with their deemed status, with most deemed-primary schools offering a primary-style curriculum taught by one class teacher, and most deemed-secondary schools adopting a more specialist-centred approach.

Some Middle Schools still exist in various areas of England. The are supported by the National Middle Schools' Forum. A list of Middle Schools in England is available.

In Scotland a similar system was trialled in Grangemouth, Falkirk between 1975 and 1987.(See Grangemouth middle schools article) The label of junior high school is used for some through schools in Orkney and Shetland which cater for pupils from 5 up to the age of 16, at which point they transfer to a nearby secondary school.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Arnold, J. "Needed: A Realistic Perspective of the Early Adolescent Learner." CLEARINGHOUSE 54:4 (1980).
• Atwell, Nancie. "In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading, and Learning." Boynton/Cook Pub (1987).
• Beane, J. "Dance to the Music of Time: The Future of Middle Level Education." THE EARLY ADOLESCENT MAGAZINE 2 (September 1987):18–26.
• Beane, J. A MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM: FROM RHETORIC TO REALITY. Columbus, Ohio: National Middle School Association, 1990a.
• Beane, J. AFFECT IN THE CURRICULUM: TOWARD DEMOCRACY, DIGNITY, AND DIVERSITY. New York: Teachers College Press, 1990b.
• Cross Keys Middle School. A PLACE OF OUR OWN. Florissant, Missouri: Florissant Public Schools, 1990.
• Jennings, W., and Nathan, J. "Startling/Disturbing Research on School Program Effectiveness." PHI DELTA KAPPAN 59 (1977): 568–572.
• Fenwick, J. (Primary Author) Taking Center Stage: A Commitment to Standards-Based Education for California's Middle Grades Students. Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2001
• "Why Middle Level Schools Are KEY to Young Adolescent Success" Westerville, OH: NMSA, 2003.

External links

• [1]
• Model Programs for Middle School Teacher Preparation
• The Transition to Middle School
• Integrating Literature into Middle School Reading Classrooms
• Middle School Education—The Critical Link in Dropout Prevention
• Integrated Curriculum in the Middle School
• Canada: Provincial Systems of Education
• National Middle School Association
• Collegiate Middle Level Association A pre-professional organization for students preparing to teach middle school.
• National Middle Schools' Forum (UK)
• UK Middle Schools
• Parents Against Change - large collection of research pro-Middle Schooling

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