To their credit, Long Beach's educators and school board members agreed several years ago to do even more. They set out to increase the academic success of every student, even those low-achievers who were most at risk of failing. We published two newsletter-sized reports that were circulated mostly to educators and some community leaders. If you've read this far, you're one of those people. We can tell you, first of all, that Long Beach district has 21 middle schools or schools with the middle grades in them.
Middle schools are a recent development in Long Beach and are part of a national trend.
The middle school grows out of a belief that the emotional roller coaster of adolescence and puberty requires teachers who can provide lots of support as well as instruction. The theory is sound, but some critics of middle school worry that academics often take a backseat to counseling and self-esteem building. The Clark Foundation believes that a good middle school must find just the right balance of academic challenge and support. Kids in urban schools, where 14-year old dropouts are all too common, can't wait for high school to get the skills they need to succeed. They need teachers who know their subjects and know how to teach in ways that get them interested in learning.