The Future of Middle Level Schools

In his article, New Middle Schools for New Futures (2009), Anthony Jackson posed the question:

“How should middle schools address the "old" problem of poor academic achievement and the new demands of globalization?”


He then immediately answered is own question with this response:

“What students need is a new skill set that includes but goes beyond reading, math, and science to include international knowledge and skills. Deep knowledge about other cultures, sophisticated communication skills including the ability to speak at least one language in addition to English, expert thinking skills required in a knowledge-driven global economy, and the disposition to positively interact with individuals from varied backgrounds—these are the foundations of work and citizenship in the 21st century (Jackson, 2008).”

My first question is:

Do the new common core standards address the old problem of poor academic achievement and the new demands of globalization?

I reviewed the standard setting criteria taken directly from the Common Core website, which guided the standards development work groups. The new standards seem to explicitly address international knowledge, expert thinking skills required in a knowledge-driven global economy, and sophisticated communication skills. The following is what I found that may align with Jackson’s recommendations.

These standards have been developed to be:
•    Fewer, clearer, and higher, to best drive effective policy and practice;
•    Aligned with college and work expectations, so that all students are prepared for success upon graduating from high school;
•    Inclusive of rigorous content and applications of knowledge through higher-order skills, so that all students are prepared for the 21st century;
•    Internationally benchmarked, so that all students are prepared for succeeding in our global economy and society; and

•    Research and evidence-based.

In addition, the standards developed will set the stage for US education not just beyond next year, but for the next decade, and they must ensure all American students are prepared for the global economic workplace.

Goal: The standards as a whole must be essential, rigorous, clear and specific, coherent, and internationally benchmarked.


Rigorous: The standards will include high-level cognitive demands by asking students to demonstrate deep conceptual understanding through the application of content knowledge and skills to new situations.

High-level cognitive demand includes reasoning, justification, synthesis, analysis, and problem-solving.

Coherent: The standards should convey a unified vision of the big ideas and supporting concepts within a discipline and reflect a progression of learning that is meaningful and appropriate.


Internationally benchmarked: The standards will be informed by the content, rigor, and organization of standards of high-performing countries so that all students are prepared for succeeding in our global economy and society.

I did NOT notice any standards that address deep knowledge about cultures, the ability to speak at least one language in addition to English, and dispositions to positively interact with individuals from varied backgrounds.

I have a couple of points that I would like to mention with regard to the above competencies. First, I’ve noticed a de-emphasis on foreign languages in my district recently due to budget cuts. This seems to be an issue across the nation as well (check out this article). Also, teaching about cultures and dispositions when interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds can be a huge disadvantage and challenge for the more rural regions that do not have significant cultural diversity.

My next question is:

So how do we get there from here in Maine? Jackson posited that the middle-level concept already has the infrastructure to meet these challenges. All we need to do is revise what is already in place, that is (a) the vision, mission, and culture of the school; (b) curriculum, assessment and instruction; (c) teachers' professional development; and (d) connections to parents and community.

The more rural parts of the state may be at a disadvantage with regard to cultural diversity, but we are at a huge advantage with one-to-one computing initiative. Why not capitalize on this with the use of available open-source collaboration tools? Students can interact in meaningful ways with peers from across the planet. Guest speakers from different cultures can Skype in and present their views on important world issues. Why not have students develop a “Passport Portfolio” to demonstrate their global and culture competence based on these rich experiences?

I agree with the many of Jackson’s suggestions and I think it is a good idea for every middle school team to get actively involved with the national network called the Partnership for Global Learning (www.AsiaSociety.org/education).