Remaking Middle School: Findings From a Listening Tour of Educational Stakeholders

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: Moving the Field Forward: Responsive Practices and Possibilities in Middle-Level Education (Table 3)

Abstract

Middle School. A vastly important developmental period yet one that so few think fondly of. In our middle school listening tour, we explore the perspectives and expertise of middle level educational stakeholders. We collected survey and interview data from a range of middle level stakeholders where we asked participants to consider how they might redesign middle school to meet the developmental needs of early adolescents. Stakeholders highlighted four developmentally aligned ways to redesign middle school including 1) integrating student voice; 2) implementing developmentally supportive curriculum; 3) adopting a whole child approach; and 4) redesigning physical school spaces. This research has a pragmatic impact in terms of recommendations for school redesign as well as highlights various areas for future research.

Authors

• Ashlee Lester Sjogren, University of Virginia
  Presenting Author

• Faith Zabek, University of Virginia
  Presenting Author

• Detajha Woodson, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nancy L. Deutsch, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Shereen El Mallah, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author