Session 1 Timeline: The History of Middle Schools - DeWitt

By dewitteg

  • Charles Eliot

    Charles Eliot, Harvard University president, initiates the movement to reorganize primary and secondary schooling that would lead to the creation of the "junior high."

  • "Schools for the Middle Years"

    William Alexander and Emmett Williams recommend the creation of 5-8 middle schools in "Schools for the Middle Years."

  • Donald Eichorn and "The Middle School"

    Donald Eichorn publishes "The Middle School" applying Piaget's theories to the design of educational programs.

  • Gordon Vars and The National Middle School Association

    In 1970, at a time of great debate about 6-8 middle schools vs. 7-9 junior highs, a group of educators (including Gordon Vars) found the Midwest Middle School Association (later renamed the National Middle School Association due to the growing middle school movement).

  • Limited Progress

    In "How Fares the Middle School Movement?", William Alexander writes about "limited progress toward the objectives of the middle school movement" despite the quickly growing number of middle schools.

  • "Caught in the Middle"

    The California Department of Education publishes report "Caught in the Middle" about middle grade reform as many states and foundations begin to recognize that the middle grades might be central to student success and decreased drop-out rates.

  • "Turning Points"

    The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development publishes "Turning Points," outlining structures and practices needed in middle grades.

  • "As I See It"

    John Lounsbury points out in "As I See It" that middle schools and junior highs "were surprisingly alike in actual practice."

  • Robert Felner, et al.

    Robert Felner and colleagues perform a study implementing recommendations from "Turning Points" in 31 Illinois middle schools. Schools with structural and instructional changes displayed larger achievement gains than those schools who only implemented structural changes.

  • Steven Mertens, et al.

    Steven Mertens, Nancy Flowers, and Peter Mulhall perform a study involving 155 middle schools in Michigan that suggests that importance of going beyond structural changes in terms of middle school improvement.

  • "Turning Points 2000"

    Dr. Anthony Jackson and Dr. Gayle Davis co-author "Turning Points 2000" which takes a more detailed look at the original recommendations of "Turning Points" and how to implement them and emphasizes the need for improving curriculum, assessment, and instruction.