The following information was compiled to assist you in making the best choice for your student and family. Additional facts can be found using the links at the bottom of this sheet.
- In dissertation research regarding K-8 education, Keith Look, a researcher for the Philadelphia Education Fund, concluded that middle grades students in a K-8 school behave differently than in a middle school. They take on the role of protector and role model as opposed to having to establish new reputations upon entering middle school. Look also found that K-8 schools enhance students’ social capital and create greater opportunities for success by building relationships with staff and peers over a course of nine years.
- In K-8 schools, the early grade teachers know almost everyone in the building, and the middle grade teachers speak with them regarding a student’s history, learning style, and family dynamic. These connections mean that each September, teachers and their families do not start from square one. Students know that all teachers care about them and are invested in their success. Teachers are able to see their influence as the students grow from small children into young adults. Teacher collaboration and articulation within and across grades increases.
- Look’s research noted an improvement in parental involvement because parents are more likely to stay involved in the children’s school lives longer. They are already comfortable with the school and its staff. Parents are also more likely to have more than one student enrolled in the same school. Students become accustomed to seeing parents as a part of the school environment and, as middle school students, do not object to parental involvement.
- In a review of 20 years of educational research, the Rand Corporation – a nonprofit research group in Santa Monica, CA – concluded that separate middle school has become the norm more because of societal and demographic pressures than because of scientific evidence supporting the need for a separate school for young teens.
- "Research suggests that the onset of puberty is an especially poor reason for beginning a new phase of schooling." Jaana Juvonen, the UCLA psychologist who spent more than 18 months crunching data for the Rand report, believes that 11- and 12-year-olds are already dealing with so many changes that it makes little sense to pile on a change in schools. "Right around the time that most kids are transferring to middle school, everything starts to happen," she says. "There's physical development: you're starting to look different. And because of that, people's expectations of you are changing. In addition, there's cognitive development and new reasoning abilities. It is a very fragile period."
- Research done by Cheri Pierson Yecke for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute discussed results from separate studies in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Baltimore concerning academic achievements in different school models. All three studies demonstrated quantifiable positive results when comparing the outcomes of students who attended K-8 schools versus the traditional K-5 then 6-8 environment. Students showed higher academic achievement and significantly higher scores on standardized tests. They also had higher levels of participation in extracurricular activities, demonstrated greater leadership skills, and were less likely to be victimized than those in the elementary/middle school setting. They were more likely to be enrolled in selective high school programs and demonstrated a higher GPA in 9th grade.
