Middle school or junior high school serves as a "bridge" between elementary school and high school. The United States does not have a cohesive national policy for the middle grades, which represent one-third of a student’s K-12 education. Squeezed between the competing interests of elementary and secondary education, middle level students continue to fight for attention, respect, and financial equity.

The national movement to “leave no child behind” has largely bypassed students in the middle. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), 57% of the students tested annually are in grades 5 through 8; yet only about 15% of all Title I funds, the program that drives NCLB, are allocated to middle and high schools. Schools will have a unique opportunity to improve teaching and learning and should focus the funds on “short-term investments that have the potential for long-term benefits.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide over $77 Billion additional dollars to education. This is a critical time to utilize an appropriate percentage of these additional funds for Middle School Transformation. Specifically, utilizing a large portion of the additional Title I funds would allow every eligible middle school serving a significant population of disadvantaged students the resources to develop engaging, challenging, and relevant middle level curricula, improve instruction for all students, and provide the intense intervention many students will need to succeed at grade level.

Previously, national attention has focused almost exclusively on the early grades in the belief that giving students a strong start would put them on a path to success. As a result, our nation’s fourth graders are showing improvement. Yet 68 percent of the nation’s eighth graders still read below the proficient level, and approximately one-quarter are unable to read at even the most basic level.

Successfully preparing the next generation of Americans for the 21st century means we must significantly improve support for middle level schools. Middle level education will need substantial upgrading to make sure that students are prepared to take rigorous high school courses, graduate ready for postsecondary education and the workforce, and become productive lifelong learners. It’s time to make an excellent education for all young adolescents min grades 5 through 8 a national priority.

Success in the Middle:
A Policymaker’s Guide to Achieving Quality Middle Level Education
Federal Policy Brief on Middle Level Education Issues
National Middle School Association: May 2006

The ActivClassroom by Promethean is a key short-term investment that has proven its
potential for long-term benefits.

I think the advent of the this technology that Promethean does so well, both with the Activboard and the Activclassroom, will change the face of teaching in terms of how we interact with students and what we use as content. I think this technology will help add a whole new set of strategies that were never available before. Preliminary research with Promethean shows that the ACTIVclassroom significantly improves student academic achievement.

Dr. Robert Marzano 2009

The National Middle School Association Five Major Goals:

Goal #1 Ensure that all middle level students participate in challenging, standards-based curricula and engaging instruction, and that their progress is measured by appropriate assessments, resulting in continuous learning and high achievement.

Goal #2 Support the recruitment and hiring of teachers and administrators with strong content knowledge and the ability to use research-based instructional strategies and assessment practices appropriate for middle level students.

Goal #3 Support organizational structures and a school culture of high expectations that enable both middle level students and educators to succeed.

Goal #4 Develop ongoing family and community partnerships to provide a supportive and enriched learning environment for every middle level student.

Goal #5 Facilitate the generation, dissemination, and application of research needed to identify and implement effective practices that lead to continuous student learning and high academic achievement at the middle level.

National Middle School Association, Policy Makers Guide
www.nmsa.org

The Promethean ActivClassroom components (Activboard, Inspire Software, Learner
Response Systems, ActivSound, ActivCommand, Dual Pen, Promethean Planet,
ActivRemote, etc.) all support the five major Goals and specifically Goal # 1, of the
NMSA and is a part of the NMSA 21st Century Classroom Model.
www.prometheanworld.com

 The Promethean Interactive Whiteboard and software is a part of the NMSA
21st Century Classroom.

National Middle School Association teamed up with several companies and organizations to bring the 21st Century Classroom to life at their annual conference in Denver in 2008. This was the optimal technologically advanced classroom to date. The classroom was a physical structure in the exhibit hall and was "staffed" by teachers and students from Denver area school districts. The teachers and students were involved in authentic learning during the course of the three day conference, aided by the latest in technologies. Conference attendees were able to observe the teaching and learning and also able to get their hands on the technologies at the tech "sand boxes," located throughout the convention center.

Middle School Transformation