Why has there been a big push to include sixth graders in middle schools?

Question

Lately it seems that more and more school districts are moving sixth graders out of their neighborhood elementary schools and into larger middle schools. The main reasoning I've heard about this push is that middle schools are more "developmentally appropriate" for students. I did a research paper for a class a while back on the benefits of K-8 schools, and several school districts that have switched to K-8 schools have found that when students are kept in their elementary schools longer, there is higher academic achievement, fewer behavior problems, and higher self- esteem among those students. This completely contradicts the idea of a middle school. I say, as long as an elementary school can provide the same opportunities that most middle schools afford children, it is more "developmentally appropriate" for them to remain in elementary schools (at least through the sixth grade). Does anyone else have an opinion on the 6-8 middle school?

Answer 1

Having taught in both settings, I would say I prefer K-8 myself. In a K-6 school, sixth graders get the big ego because they're the at the "top" and tend to get really obnoxious. (I've seen a big drop in grades, too.) They start to get too obsessed with "growing up" and definitely get an attitude much earlier.
The sixth graders, at the K-8 school I was at, knew they weren't IT and tended to be a bit more reserved and focused on academics rather than social status. Although the eighth graders were IT in that setting, they had a bit more maturity and could still focus on their studies since they tended to be more concerned about their success in high school.
On a more serious note, the academic switch for seventh graders having left a K-6 setting can be a major shock and I find can really hurt their academics. If they are struggling students to begin with, staying in a K-8 setting allows for a more consistant quality of help and support since they aren't "new" to a particular school; the teachers know them already and know what to do to help. Unfortunately, they tend to fall into the cracks going to a separate mid-school.
Comparitively? As a teacher, I'd rather deal with a K-8 eighth grader than a K-6 sixth grader. LOL

Just my two cents...

Answer 2

Yes. I went to a 6-8 school, but my husband went through a K-8 school. I prefer the 6-8 school, because it better prepared me for high school because the schools I went to, people were often beaten up if they weren't really "tough enough". My daughter's currently going to a K-8 school, and don't really think she should go but since my husband went to the same school I trust it enough. I totally am for 6-8 schools because that's just the way I was raised.