The Politics and Sustainability of Middle Grades Reforms

Autor/inn/en	Friend, Jennifer I.; Thompson, Sue C.
Titel	The Politics and Sustainability of Middle Grades Reforms
Quelle	In: Middle School Journal, 41 (2010) 5, S.4-11 (8 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0094-0771
Schlagwörter	Federal Legislation; Adolescents; School Districts; Educational Change; Principals; Middle Schools; Interdisciplinary Approach; Team Teaching; Educational Research; Equal Education; Excellence in Education; Politics of Education; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bundesrecht; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; School district; Schulbezirk; Bildungsreform; Principal; Schulleiter; Middle school; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Fächerübergreifender Unterricht; Fächerverbindender Unterricht; Interdisziplinarität; Teamteaching; Bildungsforschung; Pädagogische Forschung; Lernerfolg; Educational policy; Bildungspolitik; Lehrerverhalten
Abstract	Jennifer's first years as a middle school principal occurred during a time of transformation initiated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and further intensified by demographic changes within her Midwest suburban district of 25,000 students. In the context of national educational reform during this time period, Tom Erb asked, "Who will advocate for the best interests of young adolescents?". This question held particular significance in the Sunflower School District (a pseudonym), as the superintendent and board of education decided to dismantle certain middle grades structures and practices that had been sustained for 20 years. Schools returned to a departmentalized schedule with stratified academic classes and, during this same academic year, advisory programs were discontinued in favor of a study hall period. In this article, the authors describe how the Sunflower School District fell prey to the "pendulum model" of educational reform efforts, dismantling the interdisciplinary teaming structure despite findings from relevant research studies that suggest teaming is necessary to meet the needs of young adolescents and to achieve academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, and social equity. (Contains 1 figure.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Middle School Association. 4151 Executive Parkway Suite 300, Westerville, OH 43081. Tel: 800-528-6672; Tel: 800-528-6672; Fax: 614-895-4750; e-mail: info@nmsa.org; Web site: http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleSchoolJournal/tabid/435/Default.aspx
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10