The Middle School Model
A school implementing the Middle School Model has been planned and organized to address the developmental and cultural needs of students of ages 10 to 14, and that generally includes grades 5 through 8, although many varied patterns exist. For example, a school might include only grades 7 and 8 and still be called a middle school.Why the Middle School Model
All young adolescents deserve schools that help them become competent and confident individuals who feel a sense of agency, are proud of who they are, are optimistic about their future, feel connected to those around them, and are prepared to succeed in our ever-changing world.
The subject of how to best educate young adolescents has been debated for well over a century.
The creation of the first “junior high school” in the U.S. in the early 1900s was an attempt to keep these learners engaged and in school. Decades later, lamenting the junior high school’s relative failure to meet these goals, Dr. William Alexander issued a call for a new “middle school” that would respond more explicitly to the academic and personal development of every young adolescent. He asserted that the goal of these schools should be to stimulate in the child a love for learning, an attitude of inquiry, a passion for truth and beauty, a questioning mind. The learning of right answers is not enough…beyond answers alone, we must help children ask the right questions, and discover their answers through creative thinking, reasoning, judging, and understanding.
The 60 years since Alexander’s landmark lecture have only heightened the urgency for schools to be responsive to the nature, needs, and identities of young adolescents. Alexander’s belief that “the learning of right answers is not enough” is even more relevant in today’s era of ready access to information than it was in 1963. Thriving now and in the future demands more than a basic understanding of reading, writing, and mathematics. It requires students to learn how to learn, and to assess the veracity and merits of the vast amount of information available to them. Moreover, they need the ability to solve complex interdisciplinary problems, both individually and in collaboration with others.
The Essential Attributes and Characteristics of Successful Middle Schools
So what does the middle school model look like in practice? First published in 1982, AMLE’s landmark position paper, The Successful Middle School: This We Believe, is recognized as the best articulation of the middle school model. Now in its fifth edition, the text offers a set of attributes and characteristics that define successful middle schools. These descriptors, rooted in research and experience, provide a framework for creating the learning environments and opportunities that all young adolescents deserve.
While an overview of these attributes and characteristics is provided here, AMLE recommends educators utilize the full text, with its supporting narratives and research, when implementing the middle school model. For more resources, consult The Successful Middle School Program.
The Essential Attributes
Based on forty years of research on educating young adolescents, the following five essential attributes characterize the successful middle school.
Responsive
Using the distinctive nature and identities of young adolescents as the foundation upon which all decisions about school are made.
Challenging
Cultivating high expectations and advancing learning for every member of the school community.
Empowering
Facilitating environments in which students take responsibility for their own learning and contribute positively to the world around them.
Equitable
Providing socially just learning opportunities and environments for every student.
Engaging
Fostering a learning atmosphere that is relevant, participatory, and motivating for all learners.
The 18 Characteristics
Successful middle schools exhibit these essential attributes through a series of 18 Characteristics that are interdependent and grouped by three overarching categories.
Culture & Community
- Educators respect and value young adolescents.
- The school environment is welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all.
- Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate.
- School safety is addressed proactively, justly, and thoughtfully.
- Comprehensive counseling and support services meet the needs of young adolescents.
- The school engages families as valued partners.
- The school collaborates with community and business partners.
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
- Educators are specifically prepared to teach young adolescents and possess a depth of understanding in the content areas they teach.
- Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and diverse.
- Health, wellness, and social-emotional competence are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies.
- Instruction fosters learning that is active, purposeful, and democratic.
- Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it.
Leadership & Organization
- A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision.
- Policies and practices are student-centered, unbiased, and fairly implemented.
- Leaders are committed to and knowledgeable about young adolescents, equitable practices, and educational research.
- Leaders demonstrate courage and collaboration.
- Professional learning for all staff is relevant, long term, and job embedded.
- Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships.
Successful Middle School Companion Resources
Successful middle schools leverage existing research on the structures and practices that best support young adolescents in their academic, cognitive, social, and psychological development. Learn more about and access AMLE resources on key components related to the middle school model:
Middle School Master Schedule
Support strategic use of instructional time in your middle school.
Middle School Leadership
Cultivate leadership rooted in successful middle school practices.
Young Adolescent Development
Understand the significant biological, cognitive, and social-emotional changes.
