SISI - Standards and Indicators

Standard 1 - Academic Performance - Curriculum
1.1a There is evidence that the curriculum is aligned with Academic Expectations, Core Content for assessment , Transformations, and the Program of Studies.
1.1c The district initiates and facilitates discussions between schools in the schools in the district in order to eliminate unnecessary overlaps and close gaps.
1.1e The school curriculum provides specific links to continuing education , life, and career options.
1.1g The curriculum provides access to a common academic core for all students.

Standard 2 - Academic Performance - Assessment
2.1a Classrooms assessments of student learning are frequent, rigorous and aligned with Kentucky's core content.
2.1b Teachers collaborate in the design of authentic assessment tasks aligned with core content subject matter.
2.1e Multiple assessments are specifically designed to provide meaningful feed back on student learning for instructions purposes.
2.1f Performance standards are clearly communicated, evident in classrooms and observable in student work.

Standard 3 - Academic Performance -Instruction
3.1a There is evidence that effective and varied instructions strategies are used in all classrooms.
3.1c Instructional strategies and activities are consistently monitored and aligned with the changing needs of a diverse student populations to ensure various learning approaches and learning styles are addressed.
3.1e There is evidence that teachers incorporate the use of technology in their classroom.
3.1g Teachers examine and discuss student work collaborativly and use this informaiton to inform their practice.

Standard 4 - Learning Environment - School Culture
4.1a there is leadership support for a safe, orderly, and equitable learning environment (eg., culture audits/school opinion surveys).
4.1c Teachers hold high expectations for all students academically and behaviorally, and this is evidenced in their practice.
4.1g Teachers communicate regularly with families about individual students' progress (eg.,engage through conversation).
4.1h There is evidence that the teachers and staff care about students and inspire their best efforts.
4.1i Multiple Communication strategies and contexts are used for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders.

Standard 5 - Learning Environment - Student, Family , Community Support
5.1a Families and the community are active partners in the educational process and work together with the school/district staff to promote programs and services for all students.
5.1c School/distrct provides organizational structures and supports instructional practices to reduce barriers to learning.

Standard 6 - Professional Development
6.1e Professional development is on-going and job-embedded.

Standard 7 - Leadership
7.1a Leadership has developed and sustained a shared vision.
7.1d There is evidence that the school/district leadership team disaggregates data for use in meeting the needs of a diverse population, communicates the information to school staff and incorporates the data systematically into the school's plan.
7.1e Leadership ensures all instructional staff has access to curriculum related materials and the training necessary to use curricular training necessary to use curricular and data resources relating to the learning goals for Kentucky public schools.
7.1f Leadership ensures that time is protected and allocated to focus on curricular and instructional issues.

Standard 8 - Organizational Structure and Resources
8.1a There is evidence tht the school is organized to maximize th euse of all available resources to support high student and staff performance.
8.1d There is evidence that the staff makes efficient use of instructional time to maximize student learning.

Scenario

Ashley is in 7th grade this year. Her mother says Ashley has great motivation for learning about the outdoors, hiking, riding horse and studying nature. She is not doing well in her 7th grade public school, she’s lost all motivation for written assignments. Although she’s on a behavior contract for assignment completion, homework, staying on task and class participation, she rarely earns the 30 minutes a day free time in the gymnasium. She likes her gym teacher, but her gym teacher has not taken the time to connect with her individually .She can’t join a sports team because her grades won’t permit it, but she’s very good in basketball. Ashley’s mother and father are divorced, she rarely sees her father and he mother works hard in the evening cleaning houses to make ends meet. Ashley is responsible for her 10 year brother but often leaves him alone to seek out her friends at the park. She doesn’t want her brother to be influenced by her “group” who provide for her the “family” she’s missing. Some drugs are passed and sold, Ashley doesn’t participate often but will occasionally give in to peer pressure. She has refused to sell the street drugs and lately has been feeling “guilty” about a lot of things, especially leaving her brother home alone. Ashley sees a school counselor who set her up on her behavior contract, but she doesn’t qualify for special education.Thus,follow up for improved behavior is inconsistent.Ashley also sees a mental health counselor after school. She often misses that appointment, as she feels she has better things to do with her time.There is not much communication between the mental health provider and the school,so collaboration is hit and miss. She’s tired of trying to obey everybody, and has been “cutting” classes frequently to go smoke across the street from the school in the bushes with some of her “buddies”. Ashley has repeated 3rd grade and is well developed physically for a 7th grader. When schoolwork started getting more abstract and the content material no longer had many pictures, she became lost. Concentration is difficult and she doesn’t like to raise her hand for help. She gets most of her attention from boys, even older boys. Ashley cries herself to sleep a lot. Middle School girls like Ashley often reach out for help to others including negative peers, who are not able to support them. Ashley and others like her require early, universal, school wide responses. Ashley’s scenario demonstrates a need to consider more targeted and/or intensive intervention.

Introduction

Ashley represents a typical middle school at-risk youth with issues that span home, school, and community. Can Ashley maintain her present school environment? Will her specific needs be met in a traditional public school setting? Are there indicators that her behaviors may lead to more significant home, school and community problems? Are her treatment needs being addressed appropriately? Are outside  intervention services necessary to provide the strength based programming needed for Ashley’s success? Clearly Ashley is in need of intervention-based assessment and follow up programming in an alternative setting. Barr & Parrett (1997) reported that through alternative education programs the at-risk students achieve more than they did in previous school, have more positive attitudes, improved self esteem, better attendance, less drop outs, and decreased violent and disruptive behaviors. In general alternative education programs better meet at-risk youth’s academic, behavioral, and social needs. See Alternative Education (Kentucky) resource guide (revised 2001: http://www.kde.state.ky.us/odss/family/dropout.asp (Provides alternative education standards, characteristics, methods and strategies for alternative educators and administrators with resources and references for further study.) Most middle school alternatives attempt to either structure themselves like an elementary school or adopt the structure of high school alternatives. This article will present the reader with a needs based approach of the adolescent and direct the reader to resources and strategies that meet these needs. Middle school adolescents have a specific need for:

• Structure and clear limits 
•  Diversity 
•  Self-exploration and self-definition 
•  Competence and achievement
• Meaningful participation in the school and community 
•  Positive social interaction with adults and peers 
•  Physical activity (Barr R. & Parrett, W, 2001)

The above developmental needs as named by Barr and Parrett are highly consistent with those detailed by other groups (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989) and Search Institute (http://www.search-institute.org/research/). The research does support utilizing developmental needs and assets as the foundation of an effective program.

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Strategies

Middle school youth are going through physical and social-emotional changes at a fast pace and clearly need security from which to grown and learn. Let this not be mistaken for irrelevant rules and abstract consequences. Security comes from real boundaries, ownership in the origin of expectation and meaningful, real life natural consequences for one’s behavior. An adolescent’s response to hard line administrative rules and punishment is often overt or covert rebellion seen as passive, passive-aggressive or aggressive acting out (Gatto, J.T., 1991). Schools can fulfill the middle school’s need for security and limit setting by developing aligned school wide, classroom, and personal mission statements with realistic goals for attaining them. The formation of an active youth council where youth have voice in decision making demonstrates respect and dignity for the needs of the children served and helps fulfill their need for security and limit setting.

Effective middle schools develop small learning communities or teams where the culture is close knit and the at-risk youth are cared for and about. At-risk youth can be seen and recognized and assets appreciated. Challenges can be more readily addressed on an as needed basis with a team approach. The Kentucky Instructional Discipline and Support (KIDS) program is an excellent example of a proactive school wide intervention model that is now in its 4th year in Kentucky.

The KIDS model stresses:

• active administrative leadership, participation, and continuity
• district commitment to the project including support of extensive professional development and substitutes required for training
• representative team membership 
•  faculty involvement and commitment at 75% or higher 
•  school belief in the value of a proactive instructional approach to discipline
• use of school-based professional development days to educate/involve all staff
• school wide, (universal), targeted, and intensive approaches to instructional and behavior management

(http://kysafeschools.org/clear/best.html) This site provides a wealth of information provided by the Ky Center for School Safety, EKU, Richmond, KY, on KY safe and drug free school data, best practice, alternative schools in KY, training, and state and national resources.

Positive parental involvement supporting school and maintaining daily communication on school happenings, homework support and interpersonal issues with teachers and principals are essential at the middle school level and has a direct impact on drop out rates (Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1992).

 Diversity and Differentiation

Middle school adolescence move from concrete thinking to abstract thinking in the space of about 2 to 3 years. All children do not make this change at the same chronological time, some never do. To make matters more complex youth have extremely differing learning styles which differentiate their needs even more. Then again gender, race, culture, and socio-economic status provide additional filters for taking in new information.

While maintaining a regimented standard of education, such as Kentucky Education Reform Act Program of Studies, effective middle schools must adopt a philosophy differentiation (Tomlinson, C., 2000). Too often we hear teachers say they can not teach to Kentucky’s Core Content because their students can’t possibly learn at that high level. Differentiation and diversity must help us take curriculum and instruction to a higher level focusing on the understanding and skills of a given discipline, causing youth to consider important, profound ideas, call on them to use or generalize what they learn in important, meaningful ways, help students make sense of what they’ve learned and link it to their world and the “wider” world. Curriculum tells us what to teach, respect for diversity and differentiation tells us how.

In order to effectively teach to the differentiated learner, the school might consider a multi-disciplinary functional assessment such as an Intervention Based Assessment (IBA). The IBA is highly effective with behavioral and academic problems in grades Pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

The Intervention Based Assessment (IBA) Team is designed to develop strategies that allow students with academic and/or behavioral problems to remain in the regular classroom. The program is based upon a belief in inclusive community schools. The IBA Team is composed of educators, parents, students, and community representatives. The Team provides a structure for a collaborative, problem-solving approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating academic and behavioral interventions for individual and group academic and/or behavioral problems.

Interventions that are implemented are based upon Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences. Preliminary results of effectiveness of the Intervention Based Assessment approach (OH Office of Special Education) indicate that the program reduces the number of referrals for special education, and increases services/accommodations to at-risk students within the regular education and alternative settings.

Obstacles to Intervention Based Assessment are time and buy in from all participants. It requires ongoing monitoring with respect to diversity and differentiation.

For more information on this collaborative approach contact: Dr. James Harvey, Supervisor of Psychological Services, Cleveland Public Schools, Pupil Personnel. Telephone: (216) 523-8498.

 Positive Behavioral Support based on Universal, targeted, and intensive levels of intervention follow effective intervention based assessment. Levels of intervention beyond school wide (universal) are often needed when considering targeted or intensive at-risk youth such as Ashley’s. Targeted, more differentiated approaches would begin addressing Ashley’s specific strengths and challenges such as beginning drug use, cutting classes, and peer relationships. Intensive, direct intervention strategies would address Ashley’s need for home and community support, collaborating regularly with wraparound services to maximize success.

For more information on Positive Behavioral Support contact: Toyah Robey, Kentucky Department of Education, behavioral consultant at 502-564-4970 or Shannon Means, Ky Center for School Safety, Assistant Director at 877-805-4277.

Kentucky has demonstrated some mental health intervention success with the Bridges program, a collaborative between the KY Cabinet for Health Services, Department for Mental Health and Mental Retardation and individual Kentucky School Districts. The major goals of the project are to redesign and enhance our existing system of care through: service expansion, school-based partnership, parent/family involvement, system level improvement, and training/education opportunities. Bridges is expanding the Kentucky system of care by placing Student Service Teams in schools. For learn more about Bridges contact Beth Armstrong, at the Department for Mental Health, Mental Retardation at 502-564-4448 Extension 4513.

Family Resource Services and Youth Service Centers are also available to assist schools in collaborative programming for targeted and intensive level youth. Youth Services Centers serve children over twelve years of age. The core components are: Referrals to health and social services; Employment counseling, training and placement; Summer and part time job development; Drug and alcohol abuse counseling; and, Family crisis and mental health counseling.

For additional information about the Kentucky FRYSC initiative, please contact Dr. Robert D. Goodlett, Executive Director, Office of FRYSC at (502) 564-4986, or write to: Office of Family Resource and Youth Services Centers, Cabinet for Families and Children, 275 East Main Street, 3C-G, Frankfort, Kentucky 40621, or (http://cfc.state.ky.us/frysc/) (Presents all the services and collaborative efforts of this Office).

Flexible block scheduling help educators personalize a curriculum and meet a child’s diverse or differentiated needs. The utilization of cross-disciplinary teaching, field trips, career education, and cooperative learning could all take place during a 90 to 150 minute time block, inviting in collaborators and exploring outside real world initiatives. Effective middle schools develop real world, functional activities, mini courses, and exploratory courses in keep abreast with the diversity and interests of the students.

Self-exploration and self-definition

 Adolescents are trying to find out answers to where they fit in, what their values are and how to juggle relationships with home, school, and their communities. They try so hard to “fit in” and so hard to demonstrate their individuality. At-risk youth have added levels of inquiry, why can’t I dress like he or she, am I going to have a way to get to school, why do we have to move so much, does anybody care, why doesn’t my mom quit drinking, why can’t I learn like the other kids, kinds of thinking. Adolescent girls are even more at-risk. Despite the advances of feminism, young women continue to be victims of abuse, self-mutilation (e.g., anorexia), consumerism and media pressure to conform to others' ideals. Adolescent girls struggle to maintain a sense of themselves among the mixed messages they receive from society, their schools and, often, their families (Pipher, M. 1995).

Effective programs incorporated intramural and inter-school sports programs for coed, stressing assets regardless of gender, race, special needs, etc. Programs that provide avenues for individual interests and identification with positive role models and heroes are effective in helping youth identify their personal aptitude, interests, and values. Youth can find their individuality while developing their social and vocational skills and career pathway through service learning projects. Search Institute provides educators with an easy way to help youth understand which behaviors they participate in are character building and which are detrimental to a positive life style.

 Cross discipline and multi-level courses encourage personal growth, values and character development and self definition. Project Based Learning where career aptitude and interests are well defined and developed based on assets of individuals, demonstrating that together we make a difference is seen most vividly in the Habitat for Humanities project. This model is ideal for replication at a school or community level. (http://www.lexhabitat.org) (a snapshot of what a Lexington Kentucky’s Habitat Chapter can provide communities)

Competence and achievement

 It is most important that schools keep in mind that formal education must be the door to life long learning, not the end to end all schooling for an individual. Often by middle school, educators are involved in teaching content and meeting curriculum standards and see the diverse or differentiated learner as one with special needs, or challenged learners. Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001) identified categories of instructional strategies that affect student achievement. By using what works as how to teach, educators can continue to teach content and learning strategies to youth at a grade level expectation. Marzano, Pickering and Pollock found the following categories to be most effective for teaching youth:

1. Teach youth through identifying similarities and differences (45%ile gain).

2. Teach youth to summarize and take notes (34%ile gain).

3. Reinforce youth’s efforts and provide ongoing meaning recognition (29%ile gain).

4. Give youth meaningful, reinforcing homework and real life practice which helps to generalize skills learned (28%ile gain).

 5. Allow youth to demonstrate their learning in nonlinguistic representations (27%ile gain).

6. Encourage cooperative learning groups that are cross aged and transitional in nature, where outcomes of the group are clear and responsibilities for individual input is based on aptitude, interest and need (27%ile gain).

 7. Teach youth to set their personal learning objectives and test hypotheses (23%ile gain).

8. Teach youth to brainstorm and generate and test their own and group hypotheses (23%ile gain).

9. Teach youth to ask questions, to understand and use cueing and advance organizers (22%ile gain).

Adolescents must continue seeing academic and social experiences as essential to building confidence and self-esteem which allow for life long growth.

Meaningful participation in the school and community

Youth learn responsibility by being given responsibility. Middle school youth need opportunities to begin practicing adult roles moving toward independence. These new roles while increasing a youth’s ability to think abstractly and critically help them to explore possible careers, affirm assets and abilities and validate their ability to problem solve.

 Effective middle schools weave service learning or community service projects into their curriculum. Opportunities abound for youth to participate in peer teaching, peer mentoring, cross-age tutoring and community service learning. For more information how to receive training on this effective practice contact Joan Howard, Service Learning consultant Kentucky Department of Education at 564-3678 and your local county 4-H extension office.

Great love and great achievement require great risks (Einstein). Young adolescents learn from experimentation and exploration, pushing social, sexual and physical limits, taking risks. Research shows that youth can most often be involved in crime, drugs, violence, gangs, and other antisocial behavior during out-of-school time, especially between the hours of 3 to 6 P.M. Community Youth Programs are vitally important in helping young adolescents develop personal external and internal assets in a safe, positive, learning environment. Kentucky is calling on these supportive out-of-school programs to partner with schools which have been identified as school-wide Title I schools in making a difference for our at-risk youth. Federal dollars have been set aside through a 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant. For further detail contact Karen Schmalbauer, Division of Family, Student, and Community Support Manager, Kentucky Department of Education at 502-564-3678.

 Effective middle schools partner with Community Youth Programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H, Future Farmers, Future Homemakers, YMCA and YWCA and private before and after school providers to foster positive adult/youth relationships, career pathway development, and avocational life long interests. LINK TO Middle School: MENTORING, EARLY INTERVENTION, STUDENT SUPPORT/ENGAGEMENT

Positive social interaction with adults and peers

During middle school adolescents begin to differentiate themselves from their parents and siblings and define their own identity. It often seems that young adolescents are preoccupied with acceptance by peers. Knowing when structured interaction is needed and independence from structure is needed is the key to helping adolescents with this milestone in their respective life journeys.

Flexible block scheduling, a cross curriculum core, and organizational smallness can provide the means for developing adult/youth and peer social relationships as well as optimizing individual academic learning. Effective middle schools engage in such programs as peer counseling, teacher and peer mentorships, social skill issues groups, both during school hours and before and after school. Today, more than ever, there exists a need for at-risk youth to have correct information on sexuality, drug and alcohol use and abuse, functional families, conflict resolution, and law and gender related issues. Effective middle schools weave these topics into and across disciplines where both adult directed and peer directed instruction is allowed. Some of the alternative schools in Kentucky have received intensive professional development in and implemented the Discovery Learning Program. The Discovery Learning Program is published by Sopris West and designed for middle and high school students. It is grounded in values of mutual respect, sensitivity, faith in student potential, and high expectation for positive change. Activities - ranging from a team-building rope exercise to a course in substance abuse - support the program’s goal to engender caring, sensitive, and responsible young people. The program is comprised of six sequential units: Effective Group Skills and Team Building, Anger Management, Transactional Analysis, Assertiveness Training, Problem Solving, and Conflict Resolution. The goal is to assist the youth and the school community in developing positive social relations with adults and peers. For more information and training contact: Dr. Bill Webb, Cropper Alternative School, Shelby County, Kentucky at: 502-461-7540.

Best practice suggests that treatment issues noted above can be also be effectively addressed through sound educational practice driven by vocational and avocational interests. Kentucky requires 14-year-old students to participate in a vocational interest evaluation and follow up with a vocationally directed Individual Graduation Plan. The typical at-risk youth who is in a public alternative school setting is neither given opportunities to develop a personal career pathway nor engage in meaningful vocational related activities. The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice Education Branch developed and is in the process of publishing the Work Adjustment Model: Teaching to Transition. For a working copy and following up training please contact: Dr. Thecla Helmbrecht Howard at 502-376-4367 or Teresa Page, Vocational Consultant at Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice at 502-573-4327. The Work Adjustment Model stresses the development of a collaborative teaching community based on vocational aptitude and interest and the concepts of adult and peer mentorship.

Physical activity

 The needs of growing adolescent bodies coupled with the research on experiential learning for at-risk youth give significant reason for alternative middle schools to engage in experiential learning activities across curricular guidelines (Killion, 1999). Based on the belief that at-risk youth learn more by doing and that emotions are the foundation of learning, expeditionary programs such as Outward Bound were founded. This model focuses on action learning, teamwork, personal and group challenges and individual research on student performance (Herman, R., 1999). Many of our alternative programs in Kentucky have adopted this conceptual framework to a certain degree. Through the use of Ropes and Challenge Courses directed by certified challenge instructors, experiential learning is utilized to assist a school in developing such attributes as team-work and group trust. The school then incorporates this initial experience into their everyday curriculum through follow up activities. The Buckhorn Program, a Presbyterian owned alternative treatment setting in Buckhorn Kentucky uses the reality of daily expeditionary learning across all disciplines and curriculum standards. Youth come to Buckhorn for an intense 90 day wilderness experience where education is aligned with treatment goals during expeditionary experiences. For more on this unique program and its outcome measures contact: Mr. Joe Purvis, Buckhorn Children’s Home 606-745-1494.

Middle school youth can combine their need for physical activity and experiential learning through physical education inter and intra mural sports, career and vocational initiatives such as job shadowing, school to work, and part time employment in their given career pathways. Many of our at-risk youth placed in alternative education settings by their nature are high energy, physical human beings. The middle school body needs rigorous physical activity as it does rigorous mental activity to excel.

Strategies: for Middle School Program Evaluation

The Division of Family, Student and Community Support of the Kentucky Department of Education, Drop Out Prevention Branch has developed a program evaluation for Alternative Sites in Kentucky based on the Kentucky Standards and Indicators for School Improvement (SISI). The self-evaluation combines the SISI with best practice for Alternative Education in the creation of a tool that results in a workable school improvement plan. For a copy of this contact Leon Swarts, Drop Out Prevention Consultant, Kentucky Department of Education at 502-564-3678 or: (http://www.kde.state.ky.us/odss/family/dropout.asp). (The KY Department of Education Drop Out Prevention and Alternative Education home page)

 Summary of Effective Middle School Practices

Middle school programs need to address middle school developmental needs. A needs and strength based approach to programming requires that a middle school demonstrate the following effective practices:

•  Smaller learning communities where groups of students and teachers work together for most of the day.
• Rigorous academic standards that align the curriculum to content standards while addressing diversity and differentiation.
• A curriculum which focuses on needs of adolescence and interdisciplinary course subjects fostering communication, critical thinking, social development and life long learning.
• Flexible block scheduling with freedom for youth and educators to partner in what and how things are taught based on real world learning, aptitude, and interests.
• Programs that stress cooperative learning, mentoring, high interests, technology and employment readiness.
• Teachers that believe in adolescents and serve as liaisons to youths’ home and community.
• Out-of-school programs that enrich and supplement their need for socialization and risky behavior.

Additional Research Based Programs used in Kentucky 
 The following programs are used in Kentucky and align with KY SISI and best practice in alternative education.  For more information contact Dr. Leon Swarts, Division of Student, Family and Community Support Services, Kentucky Department of Education at 502-564-3678.
• Character Education – A program designed to foster the development of sound character, democratic values, ethical judgment, and the ability to work in a self-disciplined and purposeful environment. Contact Rhonda Bailey, Character Education Program Consultant, Kentucky Department of Education at 502- 564-1979
• Life Skills Training – A program designed to promote health and personal development (i.e., self-image and self-improvement, smoking: myths and realities, alcohol: myths and realities, drugs: myths and realities). Botvin Life Skills Training, Princeton Health Press, 115 Wall Street, Princeton, NJ 08540 or call 609-921-0540
• Discovery Program – A program designed to teach students social skills (i.e., group skills and team building, anger management, transactional analysis, assertiveness training, problem solving, conflict resolution). Contact Dr. William Webb, Cropper Alternative School, Shelby County Schools 502-461-7540.
• Reconnecting Youth: A Peer Group Approach To Building Life Skills (i.e., increase school performance, decrease drug involvement, decrease suicide). National Educational Services, P.O. Box 8, Bloomington, In 47402 or call 800-733-6786.
• Comprehensive Health Education/Violence Prevention – Here’s Looking at You, 2000 and Get Real About Violence, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201 or call 847-328-6700
• Student Assistance Programs – A comprehensive school-based prevention and intervention program designed to address high-risk behaviors and student success in school.  KY Association of Student Assistance Professionals, Shelby Co. High School, Shelbyville, KY 40066 or call Mary Waggoner at 502-633-2344
• Second Step – A program designed to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in children, teach social and emotional skills, build self-esteem, and change behaviors and attitudes that contribute to violence.  Committee for Children, 2203 Airport Way S., Suite 5, Seattle, WA 98134 or call 800-634-4449
• Discipline and Classroom Behavior Management – Powerful Strategies for Reducing Classroom Behavior Problems: Discipline Strategies that Work, Betsy Geddes 915 118th Avenue SE, PO Box 96068, Bellevue, WA 98009 or call 800-735-3503

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Barriers

The following barriers exists to exemplary programming for middle school youth:

• Educators are not always willing to buy in to the needed level of commitment to make it work.
• Scheduling for successful education sometimes becomes political in nature; adverse to the ‘way things have been done’! 
•  Rural areas may have difficulty coordinating intensive intervention services for at-risk youth due to travel and expense of available services.
• Leadership may not be present to provide the motivation, vision, and big picture it takes to be a “change” agent.

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Resources

References Barr, B. & Parrett, B. (1997). Schools for disruptive students: a questionable alternative? WV: Charleston. (Presents current case for alternative education with strategies for implementation) Barr, R. & Parrett, W. (2001). Hope fulfilled for at-risk and violent youth: K-12 programs that work (2nd ed.). Needham Height, MA: Allyn & Bacon. (Delivers a synthesis of research efforts from the field of at-risk practitioners) Gatto, J.T. (1991). The six-lesson schoolteacher. Whole Earth Review, Fall,. (A cynical look at what’s wrong with education by Mr. Gatto, NY State Teacher of the Year, 1991) Herman, R. (1999). An educator's guide to schoolwide reform. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. (Challenges educators to address best practice based on the changing culture) Killion, J. (1999). What works in the middle: Results-based staff development. Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council. (Reviews effective staff development concluding with the need to teach to the way kids learn best) Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (Provides current research based instructional strategies and specific applications for increasing student achievement) Office of Educational Research and Improvement (1992). New reports focus on eighth graders and their parents. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Strategies. (Presents statistics and narrative on the impact of parent involvement at middle school level with eighth grade students) Pipher, M. (1995). Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of adolescent girls. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, Inc.. (Presents both a clinical and parental view of what’s happening to adolescent girls) Tomlinson, C. (2000). Reconcilable differences? Standards-based teaching and differentiation. Educational Leadership, September,. (Standards based instruction and differentiated learning can be compatible approaches in today’s classrooms)
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Key Words

learning communities, block scheduling, cooperative learning, employment readiness

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