MORE QUOTES ABOUT THE WHYS
OF URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOL REFORM
excerpts from talks by Hayes Mizell
"The educational development of young people ages 11 to 15 is besieged
by a set of complex but independent forces that do not array themselves
in a frontal assault. The forces of attack...operate in three divisions
-- low expectations, ineffective instruction and leadership, and schools
that resist reform. They have many allies."
Urban middle schools have to take into account factors that either are
not present, or not present to the same degree, as in most non-urban middle
schools.
" Faculty and staff of urban middle schools have to learn how to work
and teach effectively in a multi-cultural environment, and how to change
the school to address the needs of newly immigrated students. Many urban
middle schools contend with massive and intractable school system bureaucracies
that pursue their own interests, offer little or no help to building level
staff, and issue directives and demands that impede rather than enhance
education. Urban middle schools are also more likely to have teacher unions
that challenge reform at every step. Urban middle schools are in areas of
high concentrations of poverty but they suffer from inequitable state school
finance systems that provide more resources to non-urban school districts
where citizens are taxed at a lower rate than in urban districts. "
The power of the classroom can compete with the power of the
streets, but for that to happen we have to fundamentally change what goes
on in the classroom.
" Yes, urban middle schools need to be safe, structured, and caring,
but these are only the first steps. Perhaps more than anything else, middle
school students need to gain power. Teachers can help them develop power
to manipulate symbols, power to shape facts and information, power to analyze
and interpret objective reality, and even power to create knowledge. Those
of us who have been educated to achieve at high levels know this power is
more compelling than any drug and more useful, and sometimes more dangerous,
than any gun. For all students to develop this power, school reform is essential.
"
Educators know what we mean when we talk about low-performing
schools. We all know they are out there, denying a good future to a lot
of their students.
The principals are ineffective as educators, though they may be acceptable
as building managers. The faculties are complacent and satisfied, or if
not satisfied, they are unwilling to make changes to relieve their dissatisfaction.
They keep waiting for someone else to take the initiative, and then complain
when that initiative requires something of them. These schools expect little
of students, and they fulfill these expectations by providing the students
with little effective teaching, little high- content curriculum, and little
reason to believe that students' lives can or will change. Year after year,
student performance at these schools lags, but the schools blame the students
or their families or their communities. The word "accountability"
has lost all meaning at these schools.
Some people assume middle school reform
is adopting the structures and processes
typically associated with middle schools.
These include features such as a house system, interdisciplinary teams,
advisory programs, exploratory courses, block scheduling, and perhaps interdisciplinary
curricula, cross-age grouping, and even one cohort of students remaining
with one team of teachers for three consecutive years. These are good things
to do. . . . (But) too many middle schools confuse the implementation of
these structures and processes with good education. It is not unusual to
encounter principals or teachers who consider their middle schools to be
"good" simply because they have these characteristics. Yet, some
of these schools also have low expectations of students, limited access
to challenging and engaging curricula, large proportions of low-achieving
students, high rates of disciplinary referrals, and poor attendance.
No single intervention will produce significantly higher levels
of achievement for all students. On the other hand, the blend of
factors that will raise achievement
for all students is no secret.
Begin with a school that is not just safe and orderly, but safe for learning,
creativity, and collaboration. Add a school culture that expects and values
achievement by all students and all staff. Combine with an administration
that expands and protects time for learning. Mix with teachers knowledgeable
and excited about the subjects they teach, skilled in engaging students
to learn subject content. Blend with genuine caring, sacrifice, and hard
work by teachers and students alike. Sprinkle with attention, patience,
and support at school and at home. This is the recipe for success.
The clock is ticking.
While we know that reform is a process that takes time, we are also aware
that each year reform is delayed, many students are not adequately educated.
They move from the sixth, to the seventh, to the eighth grades, and eventually
into high school without the knowledge, direction, and self-confidence they
need to pursue their dreams. This is why educators have so little time to
reform their schools. Educators can help students create futures which are
productive and fulfilling, but to do so reforms will have to be both deeper
and wider than they have been to date. The clock is ticking for this and
successive generations of students, and we have no time to lose.
--Excerpts from talks by Hayes Mizell, director
of the Program for Student Achievement of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.
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