Focus on the Wonder Years docx

Challenges Facing the American Middle School Jaana Juvonen Vi-Nhuan Le Tessa Kaganoff Catherine Augustine Louay Constant Focus on the Prepared for the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2004 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2004 by the RAND Corporation 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 201 North Craig Street, Suite 202, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-1516 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org/ To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: order@rand.org ISBN: 0-8330-3390-5 Cover design by Barbara Angell Caslon The research described in this report was conducted by RAND Education for Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. iii Preface Today in the United States there are nearly 9 million students in public middle schools (typically, schools that include grades 6 through 8). Middle school youth are especially vulnerable to multiple risks. For example, the process of social alienation that ultimately leads students to drop out of high school often starts during the mid- dle grades. Hence, the middle school years are critical in setting the trajectories for subsequent life success. How well are middle schools serving our young? The RAND Corporation set out to assess the state of American middle schools and identify the schools’ major challenges. The research team collected and synthesized literature that describes per- tinent research conducted during the last 20 years. We reviewed the issues that have received substantial attention, as well as those that have not been recognized or dis- cussed. We supplemented the literature review with our own analyses of some of the most recent national and international data. This monograph describes our findings. To assess the effectiveness of middle schools, we focus heavily on middle school students and student outcomes, such as academic achievement. But we also review research on the other key players, includ- ing teachers, principals, and parents. We provide context for our analyses by de- scribing the historical changes that have shaped today’s middle schools and the key organizational and instructional practices and multicomponent reforms that U.S. middle schools have adopted in recent years. Finally, we summarize the main chal- lenges identified and discuss future directions for middle-grade education. This work should be of interest to a wide audience of those who are concerned about and responsible for young teens, including education policymakers and ad- ministrators at the national, state, district, and local levels; private advocacy and phil- anthropic organizations; teachers; parents; and researchers. The monograph is not the “how-to” guide that we all might wish for. Rather, our goal is to provide a broad context for future decisionmaking. We hope that our review and analyses provoke new ways of thinking and help point the way for those who must address the many challenges facing America’s middle schools. iv Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School This research was carried out under the auspices of RAND Education. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, which funded this project. v The RAND Corporation Quality Assurance Process Peer review is an integral part of all RAND research projects. Prior to publication, this document, as with all documents in the RAND monograph series, was subject to a quality assurance process to ensure that the research meets several standards, in- cluding the following: The problem is well formulated; the research approach is well designed and well executed; the data and assumptions are sound; the findings are use- ful and advance knowledge; the implications and recommendations follow logically from the findings and are explained thoroughly; the documentation is accurate, un- derstandable, cogent, and temperate in tone; the research demonstrates understand- ing of related previous studies; and the research is relevant, objective, independent, and balanced. Peer review is conducted by research professionals who were not members of the project team. RAND routinely reviews and refines its quality assurance process and also con- ducts periodic external and internal reviews of the quality of its body of work. For additional details regarding the RAND quality assurance process, visit http://www. rand.org/standards/. vii Contents Preface iii The RAND Corporation Quality Assurance Process v Figures xi Tables xiii Summary xv Acknowledgements xxi Abbreviations xxiii CHAPTER ONE Goals, Terms, Methods, and Organization 1 Purpose 1 Defining Our Terms 2 Methodology 2 The Literature Review 3 The Data Analyses 4 Scope 6 Organization 6 A Final Note 7 CHAPTER TWO A Brief History of the U.S. Middle School 9 From an “Eight-Four” to a “Six-Six” Grade Configuration 9 The First Junior High Schools 10 The Junior High Becomes the Middle School 11 A Middle School Concept Emerges in the 1980s 12 The Transition as Culprit 13 Carnegie Report Elaborates on Mismatch Concept 14 Developmental Responsiveness in the 1990s 16 Role of Professional Organizations 17 Recent Debates and Research Findings 17 viii Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 18 CHAPTER THREE Core Practices of the Middle School Concept 20 Interdisciplinary Team Teaching 21 Flexible Scheduling 23 Advisory Programs 24 A More Recent Practice: Looping 25 Obstacles for Implementation 26 Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 27 CHAPTER FOUR Academic Achievement 28 Sources of Data and Limitations 29 Comparing U.S. Students with Their Peers in Other Countries 30 Performance of Middle Grade Students Over Time 34 Nationwide Trends 34 Trends Among Subgroups 35 Summary of Nationwide and Subgroup Trends 38 Achievement and the Accountability Movement 38 The No Child Left Behind Act 38 Percentages of Middle-Grade Students Reaching Proficiency 39 Understanding and Addressing Achievement Gaps 42 Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 43 CHAPTER FIVE Conditions for Student Learning 46 Social-Emotional Problems and School Functioning 47 Disengagement, Social Alienation, and Dropping Out 48 Classroom Context and School Climate 49 School Safety 50 Safety Concerns and School Functioning 52 School Responses to Promote Safety 53 International Comparisons of Conditions for Learning 53 Emotional and Physical Problems 56 School Climate 56 Social Isolation 56 Peer Culture 56 Teacher Support 57 Parental Involvement 57 Perceived School Pressure 58 Contents ix Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 60 CHAPTER SIX Principals 64 Effective Leadership 65 Principals’ Perceptions of School Problems, Tasks, and Goals 66 Perceptions of Problems Schools Face 67 Time Allocation Across Tasks 68 Principals’ Goals 69 Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 71 CHAPTER SEVEN Promoting Teacher Competence Through Training 73 Preservice Training for Middle School Teachers 73 Lack of Subject-Matter Expertise 74 Lack of Training in Development of Young Teens 76 Professional Development for Middle School Teachers 78 Latest Models of Professional Development 79 SASS Analyses on Professional Development 79 Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 81 CHAPTER EIGHT Parental Involvement 84 The Many Forms of Parental Involvement 84 Parent Involvement and Student Achievement 86 Declining Parental Involvement 88 SASS Analysis of Parental Involvement in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools 92 Factors That Influence Parental Involvement 94 Schools’ Efforts to Get Parents Involved 95 Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 96 CHAPTER NINE Whole-School Reform Models 98 Different Ways of Knowing 100 Turning Points Transforming Middle Schools Model 101 Making Middle Grades Work 103 Middle Start Initiative 105 Talent Development Middle School Model 106 AIM at Middle Grades Results 108 Implementation and Sustainability Issues 109 Challenges, Recommendations, and Exploratory Ideas 111 x Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School CHAPTER TEN Conclusions and Recommendations 112 Summary of Findings 112 Separating the Middle Grades Is Scientifically Unsound 113 Progress on Academic Outcomes Is Positive but Uneven 113 Conditions for Learning in Middle Schools Are Suboptimal 114 The Vision of the Middle School Has Not Been Fully Implemented 114 Evaluation of Success Focuses Too Narrowly on Achievement 114 Middle School Teachers and Principals Lack Appropriate Training and Support 115 Parental Support Wanes in the Middle Years 116 New Reform Models Show Promise 116 Recommendations 116 Looking to the Future 118 APPENDIX A Characteristics of U.S. Public Schools Serving Middle Grades 120 APPENDIX B International and National Data Sets 125 APPENDIX C Factor Analysis of Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 130 APPENDIX D Research Recommendations 133 References 137 [...]... 1899, the National Education Association (NEA) published a report that argued for starting secondary education at the 7th rather than the 9th grade 9 10 Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School According to the report, the seventh grade, rather than ninth, is the natural turning point in the pupil’s life, as the age of adolescence demands new methods and wiser direction.”... While the prevalence of junior high schools increased, there was also more discussion about the needs of the age group that these schools served According to Brough (1995, p 36), the “recognition of the uniqueness of the students provoked thought about uniqueness of the school program.” Over time, the focus on the grade configuration was replaced in part by considerations about the educational functions... socialization experiences that promote adjustment, guidance in decisionmaking • articulation that assists youths in making the transition from an educational program designed for preadolescents to a program designed for adolescents In spite of the increased theoretical discussion about the educational goals and functions of the junior high schools, the schools themselves remained about the 12 Focus on the Wonder. .. international comparisons, based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Health Behavior of School Age Children (HBSC) survey, we compared different social-motivational indicators for U.S middle school students xviii Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School to their same-age peers in 11 other countries The comparisons show that U.S students have negative perceptions of their... reviewed 20 years of relevant literature and analyzed existing national and international data We focused on eight areas: • • • • the historical context for middle schools the evidence supporting some key instructional and organizational practices academic achievement of middle school students conditions known to affect students and their academic performance xv xvi Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges... 6 Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School ing the proportions of students deemed “proficient”) complicate general conclusions Such comparisons would not further the goals of our review Scope As we were defining the scope of this monograph, it became apparent that we could not address all the issues that might be of interest to our audiences or that might merit further... their learning conditions These students rank the highest in terms of reported levels of emotional and physical problems and view the climate of their schools and the peer culture more negatively than do students in other countries Principals Principals have potentially a great deal of influence on teachers’ working conditions and on school climate and therefore also on the conditions that affect student... that the report was translated into concrete recommendations The Committee on the Economy of Time and the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education recommended in 1913 and in 1918, respectively, that secondary schools be divided into junior and senior levels Yet, the first junior high schools (grades 7 and 8) had actually appeared by 1910 (Brough, 1995) Although the NEA recommendations... and Beyond (a NELS study) Making Middle Grades Work Metropolitan Statistical Area National Assessment of Educational Progress National Center for Education Statistics (U.S Department of Education) No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 North Central Regional Educational Laboratory National Education Association National Education Longitudinal Study National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 National Household... Thus far, the NELS program has consisted of three major studies: the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), High School and Beyond (HS&B), and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) 3 While this monograph was in preparation, the definition of TIMSS changed to Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study We have, however retained the former . Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School to their same-age peers in 11 other countries. The comparisons show that U.S. stu- dents have negative perceptions of their. schools. iv Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School This research was carried out under the auspices of RAND Education. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations. Elaborates on Mismatch Concept 14 Developmental Responsiveness in the 1990s 16 Role of Professional Organizations 17 Recent Debates and Research Findings 17 viii Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges