Exploring Options: Middle Schools: New Trends and Issues

Mary Ruth Coleman

When the middle schools movement began in the 1960s, the key ideas that shaped its birth were drawn from our knowledge of adolescent development and curriculum organization. The goal was to create an appropriate learning environment that would match the needs of the young adolescent. The early leaders focused on the affective development of the student, recognizing the importance of social and emotional issues for this age group. The organization of teachers into interdisciplinary teams was a critical step, both to build “families” within the school where students were known and belonged, and also to facilitate a curriculum that was more interdisciplinary in nature. These two anchors of the middle school are present today, but the middle school is still evolving. Let’s explore three of the current trends, and then look at what is coming in the future.

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