Sep
27
2008
Florida Schools Flying High On Last Year’s Middle Schools Success
Posted by admin in Middle School Article, tags: Daily Basis, Depth Content, Flo, Middle Schools, Youth ExperienceThe 2005-2006 school year was a tremendous success for the Florida schools, especially at the middle school level. The Florida schools’ educators across the state worked hard to improve student academic achievement levels and were rewarded for their efforts. The state of Florida awarded grades of A or B to 75 percent of its public schools. Not only did this show extraordinary progress for the Florida schools, but it also was a new record for the state.
The strongest gains were made in the middle schools. For example, Lake County has nine middle schools. Seven earned a grade of A last year, with the other two earning Bs. One of the B schools missed receiving an A by only one point. Osceola County has ten middle schools of which six earned an A, three earned a B, and one received a C grade.
Middle school is a crucial stage of academic achievement for students. It is the time when students transition from developing the basic skills learned in elementary school to learning how to put them into practice. Here, students begin to learn more in-depth content in order to develop the foundation that is needed in high school. Secondary education then builds on the foundation by digging deeper into the content and using it to help students develop their minds and become well-rounded adults.
If the middle Florida schools do their jobs right, as they did last year, then students will achieve a greater success in high school, be more likely to go on to college, and have a better chance to obtain and excel in a good career.
The major problems facing all middle Florida schools’ educators are the hormonal changes that youth experience at this age and the intense peer pressure students must deal with on a daily basis. These challenges make it easy for middle school students to get off track.
Florida schools’ educators are working hard to divert the students’ Continue Reading
Sep
26
2008
Arizona Schools – Did They Overreact?
Posted by admin in Middle School Article, tags: Atmosphere, Conflicts, Drawing, Fear, Violence In The SchoolsIn the news recently, a middle school student – a 14 year old boy, to be precise – was suspended from Arizona Schools because of a drawing he made while sitting in class. No teacher wants to find his or her student doodling, but must admit that not all students will be as enamored of their subject as the teacher is.
The Arizona Schools district the boy attends has a zero tolerance policy concerning weapons; this includes drawing them, or even writing about them. In response to the Columbine massacre in 1999, most Arizona Schools have some version of such a policy in place. (Approximately 96% of all Arizona Schools have a zero-tolerance policy.)
Understandably, schools need to send the message that it is not okay to bring weapons to school. Nobody wants to see another Columbine. We must do all in our power to stop the violence, and this must include educating students about the harm an atmosphere of fear can do. Students who go to school every day afraid for their lives because they don’t know if they’ll be attacked or not are not learning, which is the principle purpose for attending school in the first place. Arizona Schools understand this, and have sent the message that they will tolerate no weapons, in any form, even on paper.
Supporters of zero-tolerance policies in place in Arizona Public Schools (and across the nation) say that this sends the message that the schools are concerned about the safety of their students, and are pro-active in the education and prevention of violence in the schools. They believe that such a policy, and the punishments, should be on view for the world to see. They feel that this will frighten the students into behaving themselves.
In fact, this message conflicts with the reasons zero-tolerance policies are in place in such systems as the ones in Arizona Schools. Supporters believe that the fear of being punished will “scare them Continue Reading