What We Should Do So All Students Succeed
Access: Why would we look at middle level education through the lens of access? What effect does access have on specific stakeholders—including ourselves? How does access (or lack thereof) affect teaching and learning in the critical middle grades? What do we do when we have an “access gap” in our schools? How many questions can I string together before I get to the point? Now that all of these musings and queries are simmering in your cognitive stew pots, let’s stir them around and see what we get. Shall we?
First, questions about access are important for us to consider if we are going to fulfill the promise articulated in This We Believe that our school environments must be “inviting, safe, inclusive and supportive of all” (p. 14). Access in an amazing middle school translates into consistent efforts towards equity for all students and stakeholders—in terms of resources, chances, and opportunities to grow and succeed. The opposite, exclusivity, creates an atmosphere that benefits, provides for, or celebrates only a selected few. And while those students reap the benefits and enjoy the spotlight, others languish, disconnect, and learn that they are not worthy or not worth the trouble. And with young adolescents in particular, this can be the beginning of their dropout mentality and narrative. Why should I care to come to school if no one really cares about me and what I’m about? They aren’t even thinking about me at all, so I’m out. They might not say this out loud, but you know you can see it in their body language and in their silence.
So how do we change this narrative and close the access gap? Shifting a school from an atmosphere of exclusivity to inclusivity takes an equal mix of recognition, action, and determination. To recognize the access issue, we must first see our school through the eyes and hearts of the disconnected and marginalized. For example, let’s look at access to recognition. When a leadership team looks at the school’s academic celebration program, for example, that team needs to determine if all students have access to it and needs to figure out how all students can be celebrated. Is it just for kids who get Honor Roll, Super Honor Roll, and Perfect Attendance each semester? Our middle school administrative team asked that very question, recognized the problem, and decided on an action. We reshaped our honor roll program by creating a monthly recognition initiative that celebrated more students in four key areas: Academics, Arts, Athletics, and Altruism. And we told teachers, staff, and students that anyone can earn this monthly distinction; for instance, an “at-risk” student who created a great poster project about paramecium could get an Art award in science. A student struggling in ELA could get an Altruism award for the simple, profound act of holding a door open for others. Because we were profoundly determined to make this program work, we had profound results: more students were celebrated, more families were honored for their work on the homefront, and more school spirit was generated because more kids felt appreciated and had access to the spotlight.
Now let’s look at access to extracurricular offerings. When a Student Activities department looks at the school’s clubs and sports program, that department should determine if all students have access to it and figure out how all students can enjoy healthy, engaging activities that promote involvement, physical wellness, and team-building. That’s why many schools are retooling their competitive extramural programs and adding non-competitive, inclusive, fun intramural sports that rotate every quarter… because athletics in the middle grades shouldn’t be relegated to the kids who make the team. That is also why many schools are including clubs and activities during the school day—instead of after school… because clubs in the middle grades shouldn’t be available only to the kids whose families can pick them up at school when clubs are over. All students deserve access to great opportunities to connect and grow with their teachers and peers.
Last but certainly not least, let’s look at access to success. Specifically, in the areas of academic achievement and mentorship, a school leadership team should explore whether or not there are access gaps in those areas. Homework, for instance, is considered a critical formative assessment tool that we often use to evaluate student progress and understanding. No surprise there. And when we think about access in terms of our homework assignments, it can be tempting to imagine that our young adolescents go home at the end of the day to all the resources they need to continue learning, studying, and doing our assignments. That is a dangerous assumption—and one that furthers the access gap. While there are countless students who go home to environments that have ample resources to help with homework (materials, time, family members, quiet, technology, etc.), there are many students who don’t. Their after school time looks and feels very different. So when a grade level, interdisciplinary team, or leadership team discusses the topic of homework, it should do so through the perspective of an under-resourced student and explore the purpose, nature, and effect of homework overall. Is the achievement gap with homework widening because of an access gap? In addition to homework, students may also have limited access to strong, consistent, positive-minded mentors that can help them achieve. That’s why advisory programs are a Tier 1 Intervention on the RTI/MTSS pyramid; they are universally awesome for all young adolescents because they give all students equal access to adult advocates and mentors every day. A school leadership team should, therefore, examine the vision, tenets, and practices of its advisory program to determine if it is fulfilling its aimor if it is allowing the access gap to continue.
Bottom line: Every young adolescent we serve deserves access—because the effects are tremendous. When we provide access to all students, it reconnects the disconnected. It rekindles hope in kids who are growing hopeless. It instills purpose in students who are becoming aimless. It shows students who are disenchanted that we care about them. It fulfills the democratic promise upon which our schools were founded.