Forty-nine states have now established statewide curriculum standards for the purpose of improving the quality of education for every student. It is their common hope that by defining and elevating expectations for all students the achievement of America's school population will vastly improve. Indeed content standards that spell out what students should know and be able to do are a major step towards promoting academic excellence. However, does anyone truly believe that higher achievement levels can be met by simply marching students through a well defined standards-based curriculum? I know of no teachers who believe it. Teachers are well aware that as Haim Ginott so aptly says, it is their "tremendous power" that determines what happens in their classrooms. Higher student achievement will occur when more emphasis is put on the training and ongoing support of classroom teachers.
 
In the May, 2001, issue of Phi Delta Kappan, Linda Darling-Hammond states that, "my research and personal experience tell me that the single most important determinant of success for a student is the knowledge and skills of that child's teacher." p. 629. She goes on to state that,
In my policy research, I've seen how hundreds of curriculum reforms have failed because, where the rubber meets the road, no curriculum reform succeeds if teachers do  not have the knowledge of the content and strategies to teach it well. (Goldberg, 2001,
p. 630)
 
The key to student achievement has always been within the teachers themselves. Perhaps it is time to move past the mountains of analytical data and turn our attention towards those teachers who have already proven to be excellent practioners. In order to distinguish factors that help make a classroom work, why not observe and talk with those who already have successful classrooms?

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This short article at the Web site of the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (CCSRI), done in collaboration with NMSA, offers a concise research review of best middle grades practices to engage learners. You'll also find links to additional resources and key research documents. CCSRI is a national clearinghouse for best instructional practices, maintained under a federal contract by Learning Point Associates, the successor to NCREL.

 
Stuck in the Middle: Strategies to Engage Middle-Level Learning

Young adolescents grapple with a host of changes that may influence how they perceive themselves: rapid physical and emotional development, the transition to new school environments, and the onset of adolescence. The purpose of this study is to investigate young adolescents' perceptions of self prior to and during their middle grades years. Data were collected from 78 fifth grade students using the Piers Harris Self-Concept Scale beginning in the spring of their fifth grade year and continuing across multiple data points in middle school. Data analyses indicate that young adolescents initially experience positive changes in five of six domainspecific aspects of self-concept after the transition to middle school, followed by subsequent declines to mean ratings at or below their elementary school values. Findings highlight the importance of attending to young adolescents' self-concept needs prior to and during their middle grades experiences.

f there were a real "Hot Tub Time Machine," would you rewind to elementary school? Or middle school? Would you do it all again?

"Oh sure," you might say at first, excited with the prospect. "Life was so easy then, I didn't know how good I had it. I would go back and I'd never complain because I would know that kid stress doesn't even begin to compare with adult stress. I would relish in the glory of no job, no responsibilities, no bills, no mortgage, no kids talking back to me..."

Ignoring an imperceptible shiver, you would repeat, "Didn't know how good I had it..."

Then, hesitating, your smile waning, those same words might stumble out with a little less confidence. "No kids ... talking back ... to me," and that ever so slight shiver of nerves would hit again as the face of the long-forgotten playground bully would come into focus as it did day in and day out throughout your long, anxiety filled childhood; a face you may have buried for decades but had not forgotten.

Your heart would skip a beat.
Read the complete article here.