Middle Schools Questioned

NEWARK, N.J.-New Jersey is home to 335 middle schools, where grades six, seven and eight, and students ages 11 through 14 are enrolled. Some educators have recently stated that putting such a volatile age group in the same facility can create problems, while others consider it a special time of life and that those students should be given their own learning environment.

When school began this year, some of the state’s urban districts such as Newark, Paterson and Trenton, terminated their support of middle schools. In their place, those districts are choosing to assign students in kindergarten through eighth grade together in one building before sending them to high school.

Districts in Baltimore, Cleveland and Philadelphia are also turning their middle schools into long-term elementary facilities that will go through the eighth grade.

Educators in suburban towns throughout New Jersey, including Princeton, Millburn and Cherry Hill, say they are comfortable with the middle school concept. Dr. Jeff Graber, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Princeton, noted that the middle school concept and program in his district is strong. The John Witherspoon Middle School is currently undergoing an $18 million expansion and renovation to include more classrooms, science labs and recreational facilities.

Marion Bolden, superintendent of schools in Newark, said data shows that K-8 schools are functioning at a higher level of achievement, and a typical middle school that is too large will struggle. Bolden stated that more urban districts will consider K-8 and create more such institutions.

In New Jersey, districts are allowed to create their own configurations. The state does not mandate the existence of middle schools, or that certain ages be grouped together.