NY Times article on Middle Schools

A very interesting piece in the NY Times, Trying to Find Solutions in Chaotic Middle Schools, on Thursday. I think it speaks to exactly what I thought about middle school when my sons were there. I'm not sure I believe K-8 is the cure-all, though. I do think a later start and smaller middle schools would make sense. It was interesting that all through the Gates mantra of "smaller schools" for high schools, our middle schools in Seattle (some of them; Eckstein, Washington and Whitman) just got bigger and bigger. And while they are mostly successful, I think they are all too big for the age group they house. There is also a marked drop-off of parent involvement at the middle school level and it really hurts the schools.

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