Middle schooling, although a contested phenomenon, has established its position on the huge
landscape of secondary education. The philosophy of middle schooling claims that middle school
has the best organisational structure for meeting the (educational, emotional, social and
psychological) needs of adolescents1. This study is an attempt to see how successful schools of
the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are in implementing the middle schooling program with
respect to the General Design for a Whole School Approach to School Improvement (Hill &
Cr�vola, 1997), which is used as theoretical framework for the evaluation. The three schools
selected through purposive sampling for this study are considered exemplary for their
implementation of programming consistent with the essential elements of middle schooling.
The literature has recognised that, during last two decades, policy makers, educators, innovative
reformers, and private foundations have manifested enormous commitment and interest in favour
of the middle schooling program. The findings of this study indicate that, with certain
adaptations, each of the three sample schools are implementing the salient features and
characteristics of effective middle schools identified in the General Design and discussed widely
in the literature. Each sample school is making its best efforts to improve the teaching and
learning environment better to meet the needs of adolescents and is implementing middle school
philosophy in accordance with the design. It is unlikely that any school can achieve "perfection"
in all of the areas identified in the selected design (Hill & Cr�vola, 1997), and the possibilities for
improvement are always there. Certain significant issues related to students� security and
connectedness are identified as requiring some attention by the school organisation.
The main question of this study�how responsive middle school reforms are in the enrichment of
the physical, social and emotional growth of adolescents�has largely been answered positively
in this study. Based on the findings of this study it is concluded that the middle schooling
program is not a wasted effort on the landscape of secondary education in Australia. The results
of this study have certain implications for policy makers, educators and researchers. These
include recognition of the need for teacher training programs to provide teacher training with a
greater understanding of the teaching and learning needs of adolescents and the need for
educators to make extra efforts in making the school environments safe, secure and inviting for
adolescents. Longitudinal studies will be required to determine the long-term outcomes of the
middle schooling program, as claimed by the proponents of the middle schooling movement.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219086 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Rafiq, Mah-i-Laqa, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education & Community Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Mah-i-Laqa Rafiq |
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