Director of ACER’s Teaching, Learning

Is middle schooling more effective than the traditional primary to secondary school structure? What happens in schools is more important than how they are arranged, according to Stephen Dinham and Ken Rowe. The middle years are a critical period when young people experience substantial physical and emotional change. During this time, some students disengage or are alienated from learning, and growth in academic attainment can plateau or even fall. Some students struggle with literacy and numeracy, and some disengage from or fail to continue studies in mathematics and science. These are also the years where attitudinal, behavioural and social problems can escalate. Absenteeism, suspension and expulsion from school are most common, especially for boys. It is a period when matters such as body image and sexual orientation can become critical issues for some. Middle schooling is based on the idea that these problems are due, at least in part, to ‘traditional schooling’, and can be avoided by taking a different approach to school organisation, curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. Since the mid-1980s, middle schooling has been considered a key educational reform initiative in English-speaking countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, although it needs to be noted there are numerous models and approaches to middle school organisation. Many educators have seen middle schools as a panacea for the problems of upper primary-lower secondary schooling and adolescence in general. While there has been a large volume of published work about middle schooling, there has been little evidence-based research. There is no shortage of strong views on the subject, both pro and con – but the available literature requires careful critique. A recent review, conducted by ACER for the New Zealand Ministry of Education, aimed to examine the research on middle schooling, undertaken in order to inform policy Middle schooling: What’s the evidence