Second in a two-part series on the perceived gap between elementary and middle schools.
Previously I discussed the gap between parents' ratings of safety and quality of education in American middle schools versus other schools. Parents whose oldest child is in middle school are less likely than parents whose oldest child is in elementary or high school to feel that their child is safe at school, and middle school parents are also less likely than elementary school parents to give high ratings to the quality of education at their child's school.
What can middle schools do to close this gap? The solutions lie within the teaching staff, student orientation programs, and parent communication.
Teachers and Principals
Teachers make the difference regardless of grade level, yet middle school teachers and principals, like their students, are special. Middle school teachers must like and want to work with middle school students -- challenging though they may be.
In recent Gallup focus groups with middle school teachers whose students consistently outperform students with other teachers, participants highlighted the talents necessary for teaching effectively at this level. One teacher asserted that in order to bridge the gap between elementary and high school environments, middle school teachers must find "a balance between the passion for the subject and the passion for the student." Another maintained, "A well-planned lesson will not work when there is a crisis," emphasizing the need for middle school teachers to be sensitive and adaptable. A third teacher underscored the importance of building relationships: "Middle school kids in particular won't do it without relationships. You have to be in tune to what they are into. I enjoy kidding around with them. We have fun together."Teachers like these help minimize the adolescent anxieties of their students.
Student Orientation Programs
Virtually every middle school student goes through orientation, but many orientation programs are either perfunctory or only modestly effective. Middle school principals and teachers must examine their orientation efforts from two standpoints: 1) Are we doing the right things? and 2) Are the things we are doing effective?
Measuring student and parent attitudes before and after middle school orientation is a good place to start. Questions to keep in mind include: What are their fears? Did we alleviate them? Do students and parents feel differently -- and if so, why? It is important to collect information on the effectiveness of orientation programs and effectively communicate it to the parents and students.
Parent Communication
According to the 2002 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup survey on the public schools*, newspapers are the most cited source of information about the quality of schools in the community (24% of Americans mentioned that they get information about schools from newspapers), followed by "word of mouth/friend/relative" (18%) and "children/students" (10%). Only 4% of Americans mentioned "teacher/principal/school staff" as a source of information on schools.
Middle schools must repair this disconnect between parents and schools, and dispensing information about student orientation and school safety is an obvious place to start. At the same time, middle school teachers and principals must ensure that the information flow is not just one way. Rather than a periodic newsletter to parents, dialogue should occur with more than just the dedicated parent group. The more parents know about their child's teachers and the school's accomplishments, the more they will like both.
Parents should be encouraged and shown how to become involved in their children's schools. Without proactive efforts to promote parent involvement, middle school parents and schools may naturally drift apart. In all too many cases, teachers' and principals' beliefs that "they can do it all alone" may lead them to see a lack of parental involvement as a positive. In truth, parents must be involved at school and at home in order for students to be successful.
Why Close the Gap?
Closing the gap in perceptions about safety and satisfaction with the quality of middle schools is crucial. Basic safety is inevitably the foundation of any hierarchy of needs and a requirement before achieving other goals. Consequently, satisfaction with the quality of education will not occur unless students and parents believe the environment is safe.
Many middle school teachers and principals pride themselves in making their schools a special place for a special age group. But to make the most of that achievement, they must do a better job of convincing parents and the rest of the public of their success.
*The findings from the 2002 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,000 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 5-26, 2002. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3%.