Special Issues in Reforming Middle Level Schools

Abstract

In this article, some of the particular issues relevant to changing middle level schools were examined. Recent research has increasingly examined the educational needs of early adolescent students, and school reforms frequently have been called for Often, these calls for reform have not been accompanied by careful consideration of the many factors, some particular to middle level schools, that can inhibit meaningful, lasting change. Described is a recently concluded 3-year project to produce a task-focused learning environment at both the middle and elementary school levels. Using qualitative data (including interviews, field notes, audio recordings of weekly meetings with the staff at the middle school, and an open-ended survey question), some of the issues are explored that make creating changes in middle level schools a particularly challenging endeavor