A Manifesto for Middle School Reform

Speaking with One Voice: A Manifesto for Middle-Grades Reform is a position statement by four leading advocates of middle school reform, published in the March 1997 issue of Phi Delta KAPPAN magazine.

"We hope this manifesto will serve as a source of energy and inspiration for taking (the) next steps to create high-performance schools that foster all students' academic achievement and healthy development," write the authors. They include Joan Lipsitz, retired program officer at the Lilly Endowment; M. Hayes Mizell, director of the Program for Student Achievement at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation; Anthony W. Jackson, program officer at the Carnegie Corporation; and Leah Meyer Austin, program director for Education, Youth, and Higher Education at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Other Middle School Reform Articles

The special KAPPAN section also summarizes data from several years of middle-grades research. According to the KAPPAN, "the findings from this treasure trove of data on the variables that account for middle-level students' performance and achievement have been long-awaited by teachers, administrators, and curriculum directors across the nation."

These links lead to articles in the special section:

What Works in Middle-Grades School Reform
The Project on High Performance Learning Communities
The Impact of School Reform for the Middle Years
The Five-Foot Bookshelf: Readings on Middle-Level Education and Reform
Program Descriptions

Hard copies of the 40-page report are available at a very low cost. Single copies are $3 (to cover shipping and handling only), or 50 copies at $10, or 100 copies at $15. Phone the Order Department, 800/766-1156, or write to Middle-Grades Insert, Phi Delta Kappan, P.O. Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402.

New England League of Middle Schools

"Middle Level Curriculum: A Position Statement" is a succinct statement of beliefs by the New England League of Middle Schools.