The compelling case for a K-8 model

“Why did this take the “experts” so long? Many parents can tell you: If an otherwise decent school district has a problem school, it’s going to be the junior high. And even high-functioning middle schools can be a problem for the students in them.”

Lately, a lot of discussion has been on the subject of the 5^th and 6^th graders going to school at the main campus.  As I live my life I continually discuss school issues with the people I meet.  In this informal poll, I have never met a parent who likes the idea of 10 and 11 year-olds on that campus.  I am sure there are some parents who do like it, but I have yet to meet one. Some of the complaints are:

• Students are on the bus for upwards of an hour
• 10 and 11 year-olds are on the bus with the older students (I have heard some real horror stories as to what they have seen, including sexually inappropriate behavior)
• Due to the number of students at the main campus, the lunches start at 10:00
• The school is too far away from the parents if something happens

Proponents of the middle school model say that the students are available to more resources and that they kids like it. 

An interesting post on Anchor Rising highlights a couple of articles that say many school districts are not only eliminating 5^th and 6^th graders from the larger schools, but eliminating the middle school model all together, going back to a K – 8 model. The main points I took out of the articles are:

• Children going through puberty should not be subject to dramatic transitions
• Students in the K-8 system have a sense of community
• There are many benefits when students stay with the same class, principal, environment and teachers (listed below)
• Students who stay in their grade school,  stay “younger, longer” (they do not have the tendency to try older kid things such as dating, smoking, etc…)

The post also links to an article in the ProJo where a student quote hits the nail on the head, “You’re always sad when you’re not around your friends.” 

And finally, the most obvious but apparently overlooked issues are that smaller schools are better for student performance, achievement, discipline, attendance and enrollment, graduation rates, career earnings, student participation, parent and student satisfactions, teacher satisfaction, parent involvement, increasing extracurricular activities and participation in advanced classes, cost savings, and a sense of ownership, community and belonging, as well as reducing the racial education gap and reducing the need for special needs programs, to name just a few.  See this list of other related reports.

But that is just what is good about small schools.  What is bad about large schools? 

“According to the Department of Education, schools of 1,000 or more students experience 825 percent more violent crime, 270 percent more vandalism and 1,000 percent more weapons incidents, compared to those with fewer than 300 students. “

Mary Anne Raywid, Hofstra University Professor Emerita and Past president of the Society of Professors of Education, whose name is used for an award that recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the study of education, has said-

“The value of small schools has been confirmed with clarity and a level of confidence rare in the annals of education research.”