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“Middle School"

The definition depends on the country and school district, but generally in the United States, Middle School refers to grades 6th through 8th; PRE-High School

Brief History (Schaefer et al.)

  • Late 1800s  Mandatory education laws are introduced; started to split children into age groups

  • 1909   The term "Jr. High School" is coined

  • 1963   Beginning of the Middle School Movement; the name is changed from "Jr. High School" to "Middle School"

  • 1970s   Educators and parents call for more studies to be done on educating pre-high school students

  • 1980s   Focus on teacher preparation and creating curriculum specialized for students

  • Late 1990s   Policymakers' attention shifts to early childhood and college; middle school becomes the "forgotten middle child of education" and many middle school educators still feel this way today

Middle School in 2024

Watch these YouTube videos to get a glimpse into the lives of middle schoolers today:

Recent Studies

Here are some excerpts about recent studies concerning middle school and middle school aged children:

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  • “Scientists have long known that the human brain develops more rapidly between birth and the age of 3 than at any other time in life. But recent advances in brain imaging have revealed that a second spurt occurs during early adolescence, a phase generally defined as spanning ages 11 to 14" (Field).

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  • “While the plasticity of the teenage brain makes it vulnerable to addiction, it also makes it resilient, capable of overcoming childhood trauma and adversity, according to a report recently published by the National Academies of Science" (Field).

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  • “Peter Gray, a research professor at Boston College who has found a relationship between the decline of free play and the rise of mental illness in children and teens, wishes more middle schools would bring back recess. ‘You don’t suddenly outgrow the need for play when you’re 11 years old,’ he said" (Field).

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Experiences Mentioned in Script

Scroll through the gallery and see what Simon's middle school experience was like. How similar or different was your own experience?

Swim Team

Swim Team

Taekwondo

Taekwondo

Math Club

Math Club

School Bus

School Bus

Dating

Dating

Dances

Dances

Soccer

Soccer

Homework

Homework

Handball

Handball

Spelling Tests

Spelling Tests

Periodic Table

Periodic Table

School Concerts

School Concerts

Home Ec

Home Ec

Frog Dissection

Frog Dissection

Imagination and Play in Middle School

Researchers have long debated the average age when children stopped playing "pretend." In the past, people thought it was around age 6. More recent studies show that most children stop playing "pretend" around age 11, though some believe that playing "pretend" just becomes a more private and personal thing at that age. Some adults claim that they never stopped playing "pretend" (Smith and Lillard). Even if most middle school children aren't running around as pirates, princesses, dinosaurs, or wizards, they still use their imagination. 

A Few Ways Middle Schoolers "Play" and Use Their Imagination

  • Creative Writing

  • Virtual Reality Play

  • Online "role-playing" games

  • Imaginary Friends (see Taylor)

  • Creating TikToks

  • Doodling

  • Improv or Role-Playing Activities

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Many researchers and educators blame the lack of adult imagination on the education system. Watch the YouTube video to hear about how schools teach kids not to use their imagination!

Bibliography

“8 Ways to Help Older Kids Develop a Sense of Imagination | KQED.” KQED, 1 Feb. 2018, www.kqed.org/mindshift/50429/how-to-help-older-kids-develop-a-sense-of-imagination.

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Carrillo, Sequoia. “U.S. Reading And Math Scores Drop to Lowest Level in Decades.” NPR, 21 June 2023, www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183445544/u-s-reading-and-math-scores-drop-to-lowest-level-in-decades.​

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Field, Kelly. “Middle School’s Moment: What the Science Tells Us About Improving the Middle Grades.” The Hechinger Report, 27 Oct. 2021, hechingerreport.org/middle-schools-moment-what-the-science-tells-us-about-improving-the-middle-grades.

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Mary Beth Schaefer, Kathleen F. Malu & Bogum Yoon (2016) An Historical Overview of the Middle School Movement, 1963–2015, RMLE Online, 39:5, 1-27, DOI: 10.1080/19404476.2016.1165036

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PBS. “How We Can Bring Creativity and Imagination Back to the Classroom.” PBS Education, www.pbs.org/education/blog/how-we-can-bring-creativity-and-imagination-back-to-the-classroom.

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Rolland, Rebecca. “New Research Shows Why Kids Need Play for Mental Health.” Psychology Today, 21 Mar. 2023, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-of-talking-with-children/202303/new-research-shows-why-kids-need-play-for-mental. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023. 

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Taylor, Marjorie, et al. “Longitudinal Outcomes of Young High-Risk Adolescents with Imaginary Companions.” Developmental Psychology, vol. 46, no. 6, Nov. 2010, p. 1632. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1037/a0019815.

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Terada, Youki. “The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2021.” Edutopia, 10 Dec. 2021, www.edutopia.org/article/10-most-significant-education-studies-2021.

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U.S. Department of Education. “Middle School Student Performance Decline in the Middle Grades.” Regional Education Laboratory Program, May 1991, ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/west/Ask/Details/53. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

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