Middle School Matters More Than We Think

Steve Peha

For the last few years, our country has been intensely focused on raising high school graduation rates. And we’ve had some success. But much research has revealed that starting this effort in 9th grade is about three years too late. Middle school it turns out is the best leverage point for making sure more kids graduate from high school. Middle school matters more than we think. And that’s the point of Middle School Matters, the comprehensive school-wide change program initiated by the George W. Bush Institute. Last week, I attended their two-day conference in Baltimore and found it extremely valuable. I attended enlightening and valuable presentations from some of the best researchers and practitioners in the country including Robert Balfanz, Mark Dynarski, David Chard, Michael Grady, Tanya Santangelo, Kristin Nafziger, and Christy Murray. These folks are doing some really good work for middle schools participating in the program. And they’ve done something for all middle schools that I haven’t found anywhere else: a comprehensive collection of the best research on effective middle school practices. The Middle School Matters Field Guide is a unique and uniquely illuminating document that I think anyone working at the middle school level would find valuable.