Middle Schoolers Shape the Destiny of the Nation

This week I have chosen to blog about a recent article that I found in the May 2009 issue of Middle School Journal. The article is written by Ken Kay who is president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The title of the article, Middle Schools Preparing Young People for 21st Century Life and Work, talks about how middle schools in America are being left behind. In No Child Left Behind, elementary schools are given a clear mission of “getting students ready to learn” and high schools are given the mission to get students ready for college or careers. Not much is said about the mission of middle schools. Some middle schools have chosen to continue with the elementary school mission by “Support[ing] students in adjusting to the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual transitions...” that are so common during the middle school years. Other schools have chosen to “Give students a taste or a hefty dose of the academic coursework they will encounter in high school...” Neither of these approaches is working. Kay contends that we need to give middle school students an approach based on 21st century skills. He says, “This will turn the tide on stagnant or negative growth in student achievement, stave off boredom and frustration, and prepare students to succeed in higher-level courses in high school.” (p. 43) Kay believes that middle school students are ready to tackle the challenge of innovation in learning and that only the educational system is holding the students back. By the end of the eighth grade students should be able to learn by doing, talking, working in teams, and problem solving. This would increase our retention of students into high school and reduce drop-out rates as well. By learning in this manner, we are taking into account the multiple intelligences theory from our text and adding the technology and global awareness that appeal to students. Kay says, “They [students] want and need engaging work that stimulates their curiosity, involves them in decision making, provides some autonomy and choice in learning, improves self-regulation, and allows opportunities for creative expression.” This phrase reminds me of a lot of the concepts presented in Reality Therapy. (Orlich, p. 191) Students are taking more responsibility for their education and solving problems. Teachers would interact completely differently with students in this approach, with much more student-teacher involvement in the classroom. We need to stress to students at the middle-level that they can be confident in their abilities and that their motivation to achieve will be rewarded in their future. This talented group of students that we release into the world will “shape the destiny of our nation”.