Essay - Middle School Reform in America a Comparison of Standardized Test...

Middle School Reform in America

A comparison of standardized test results ***** middle school students in the United States and its industrialized counterparts reveals much about American middle school education. Math ********** show, for example, that American students score below average. More disturbing, the results show that American middle school students lag far behind the students in ***** nations. This paper examines different programs that have been created to address this growing problem. This includes the creation of nationwide standards, ***** development of "thinking based curricula" ***** low-income youth in urban areas and ensur*****g that teachers link lessons to real world issues.

In the conclusion, this paper looks at ***** effectiveness of these programs. In an era where people are questioning whether middle ***** should be abolished, ***** paper argues that given the proper orientation, this period can provide students a chance to develop relevant skills that are necessary for academic success in high school and *****yond.

Piecemeal reforms

***** middle school reform industry gained momentum in the 1970s, when numerous approaches were enacted. These included adopting ***** vouchers to allow children ***** leave failing middle schools. These vouchers ***** thus seen as a w*****y to level ***** academic playing field. Students who are currently "trapped" in low-performing school districts will thus have the chance ***** benefit from educational opportunities that ***** already available to their more affluent peers. Ideally, parents would be allowed to examine the educational options offered by both public and private schools. Their choice of middle school is ***** determined not by district or financial constraints. Rather, they could choose based on which school curriculum best satisfies ***** child's needs.

Since their inception, however, this program had its critics. A number of educat*****s and civil rights activists, *****, have expressed strong opposition to the ***** voucher program.

The National Education Association has charged that voucher ***** are not willing to meet public accountability standards. Many private and public schools who gain funding, however, are ***** willing ***** participate in voucher plans ***** would require *****m to meet state accountability *****. Only 33 percent of ***** schools, for example, ***** ********** to ***** in state-administered standardized tests (NEA 2000).

There is thus no way to evaluate ***** the tax dollars spent on a child's priv*****te education ***** yielding measurable results. The NEA's position was strongly supported ***** the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), even though majority of the voucher recipients were projected ***** be African *****.

***** addition to the ***** system, many schools ***** their own, school- or d*****trict-based re*****m. A number of districts installed technology to aid with education. Others concentrated on revamping their reading programs.

Some school ***** emphasized professional ***** training programs for ***** and staff. Many schools focused on cramming more periods into the school day, while still others strived to reduce class sizes (Finn 1996). However, despite these programs, the test scores of American middle school ***** continued to decline.

***** (1996) argues that the root *****