“The middle grades, broadly defined as fifth through eighth grade, need to be seen as the launching pad for a secondary and post-secondary education system that enables all students to obtain the schooling and/or career training they will need to fully experience the opportunities of 21st century America.“*
Middle school represents a pivotal moment in a student’s personal and academic journey.
They are no longer just children whose primary job is to respond to parental instructions and have fun. Between the 5th and 8th grades, students confront a key turning point. Middle school students are able to make decisions in a way they have not before. Their choices, conscious or not, will affect their future trajectories both in and out of school.
The most salient decisions at hand for 5th - 8th graders are those that can be made in the school setting. As students begin to blossom into teens, their platform for self-expression becomes the school environment. The school space is outside of parents’ reach. The myriad corners of a school building - the stairs from the gym to the cafeteria, the hallways - become their outlet. As social hierarchies emerge, homework and exams become more rigorous, and college begins to loom, students will start weighing the value of school.
A middle school student will consider… Is school “cool”? Is school important to me? Why study? The answers to these questions will affect both how a student prioritizes his or her time in the short-term and start to determine academic success in the long-term.
If you’re curious about how best to engage your middle school child academically and optimize the middle grades, check back in with the “Middle School Maze”.
We will regularly offer strategies and insights designed to engage your middle school child.
*[Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path; Robert Balfanz, June 2009]
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