Currents

Stuck in the Middle

Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006

In about a dozen cities, school district administrators are thinking of eliminating middle schools and reverting to K–8 schools. Their belief is that middle school students will perform better academically in a smaller, more nurturing atmosphere. Studies conducted in Philadelphia indicate that sixth-graders taught in elementary schools do better on standardized tests than those attending middle schools and that K–8 schools experience fewer discipline problems. Some 5,000 K–8 schools operate in the United States, about 17 percent more than in 1993–94.

Those concerned about a return to the K–8 model caution that these schools offer less class variety. For example, a report out of Baltimore, which has created 30 new K–8 schools, reveals that they sometimes lack the facilities and programs for essential middle school courses like algebra, laboratory sciences, and a choice of foreign languages—coursework that is important for students planning to attend college.