Perspectives on the Middle
School Movement:
Snapshots from the Past
Jn the 1960s forward-looking educators,
critiquing the stagnant nature of the
‘American junior high school, proposed a
new form of school for young adolescents.
The 30-year struggle to provide appropriate
education for these youth continues.
By P. Elizabeth Pate & K. Denise Muth
s the middle school movement in the
A Inited States begins its fourth decade, this
aticle presents snapshots from the past
highlighting important ideas, people, and events
from that movement. It begins with shart biogra-
phies of those founding fathers of the mile
School movement, followed by a brief history of
the mavement itself, and conchudes with atime:
line of seminal writings.
Conrad &.Toepfer, I: (right) and Donald H, Eichhorn (let)
Snapshot: The Founding Fathers
Change and reform start with new ideas presented
by forward-looking thinkers. In the middle school
movement, this was evidenced by the work of
William M, Alexander, Donald H. Eichhorn, John
H. Lounsbury, Conrad F Toepfer, Jr. and Gordon
Vars. Fach person was on the edge; together they
comprised the “cutting edge.” These men had a
vision of middle level education that shaped a
foundation for the middle school movement,
Middle School Journal « November 2003
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30 Years of Advocating for Young Adolescents
5William M. Alexander
Known as the “father of the middle school,” William
Alexander pioneered work on middle school curricu-
lum, After serving as a teacher, he achieved national
recognition for his work in curriculum development.
| Middle schools, characterized by inter-
disciplinary teams, challenging curriculum,
advisory programs, and exploratory
programs, have made tremendous
progress but still have a long way to go.
While a college professor, he articulated what junior
high schools should look like and how they should
operate. He first used the term "middle schoo!” in
1963. It quickly caught on because many recognized
that the junior high school was not meeting the
needs of young adolescents. The Emergent Middle
1 School, co-authored by Alexander, Is regarded as one
fof the earliest scholarly writings focusing on middie
| school education.
Donald H. Eichhorn
Donald Eichhorn began his career as a custodian in
a junior high school before becoming a middle
school teacher, then a principal, and finally a super:
intendent, His focus was always on creating the
most effective learning environment for young ado-
lescents. His early interest in medicine and health
ues helped him top
priate schools for young adolescents. He was one of
the first to implement the concept of advisory
‘groups as wel as multi-age and developmental
‘grouping. Eichhorn played prominent roles not only
in the leadership of National Middle Schoo!
Association (NMSA) but also of the Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD),
John H. Lounsbury
John Lounsbury’s steength of character and personal
convictions, along with new insights about progres
sive education obtained while working on his doc-
torate at George Peabody College for Teachers,
shaped his thinking about schooling young adoles
cenis. Lounsbury’ belief about middle school educa-
tion is simplee The child i the heart of the school,
16 Middle Schoo! Journal « November 2003,
According to Lounsbury, teaching is a moral enter.
prise and schools must be child-centered places
where young people experience democracy. Every
thought, every action of middle school educators
should focus on “doing what we know is best for
this age group's growth and development.” This phi
Iosophy has guided Lounsbury’s writings, presenta-
tions, and involvement on behalf of young adoles-
cents for half a century.
Conrad F. Toepfer, Ir
Conrad Toepfer, 2 gifted musician and a baseball afi-
Gonado, is noted for being an ardent advocate for
human rights, particularly the rights of children.
Through his work in the mid.'S0s and the ‘60s with
ASCD he helped to bring issues related to the educa-
tion of young adolescents to the national forefront.
‘During his tenure as NMSA president in 1987-1988,
this man of deep commitment and principles focused!
the organization on racial diversity and parental issues.
He also played an influential role as chairman of the
‘National Association of Secondary Schoo! Principals
(NASSP) Council on Middle Level Education.
Gordon F. Vars
Gordon Vars was an aeronautical engineer while on.
active duty in World War If, but decided to become
a teacher, Harold Alberty, a professor at the Ohio
State University, greatly shaped Vars’ educational
philosophy. "Studying the adolescent” and “teacher.
student planning” became foundations for Vars’ sup:
port of the core curriculum and other integrative
“approaches to curriculum. Since his first teaching
made
significant contributions to the education of young
adolescents and is highly regarded as a curriculum
scholar and authority.
For more information on each of these innovative
thinkers and risk-lakers, please refer to McEwin
(1992), Brough, (1994), Johnston (1992), Bergmann
(2994), and Dyer (1993),
Snapshot: Brief History of the Middle
School Movement
This section provides a brief history of the middle
school movement. Readers interested in a more
detailed history of the movement are relerred to
‘Alexander and McEwin (1989), Lounsbury (1990),
Melton (1984), and Moore and Stefanich (1990)The Committee on Economy of Time in Education
in a 1913 report first proposed that the 6-6 grade
arrangement advocated by earlier national commit.
Into 6-3-3. This came a few years after
several junior highs had already been established
The number of junior high schools in the country
rose rapilly to more than 7,000 by the early 19
By then, the founding fathers of the middle school
movernent, all of whom had been actively trying to
reform junior high schools, realized that what was,
needed! was a school that would more adequately
serve the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and
moral development of young adolescents.
During the late 1960s as a considerable number of
648 institutions opened in the Midwest, eamestdis-
cussion began about starting a professional organiza
tion focused specifically on the middle school. In
1971 a small group of educators, primarily princi:
pals, began the Midwest Middle School Association
ata conference in Dayton, OH, attended by 128
people who elected Gordon Vas as thelr first presi
dent. The Midwest Association reorganized itself in
1973 as the National Middle School Association, an
organization devoted specifically and exclusively to
the furtherance of middle level education with
membership open to anyone interested in the edu
cation of young adolescents. NMSA has served the
middle school movement by providing a voice, sup
port services, and publications for professionals and
‘others Interested in the education and well being of
young adolescents.
As the number of junior high schools in the
country decreased dramatically, the number of mid:
ie schools increased equally dramatically. Today's
middle schools, characterized by interdisciplinary
teams, challenging cursiculam, advisory programs,
and exploratory programs, have made tremendous
progress but they still have a long way to fulfill their
commitment to young adolescents,
tees be divide
Snapshot: Timeline of Seminal Writings
The following timeline highlights seminal writings
of the middle school movement. We asked 12 win
ners of the John H. Lounsbury Award, NMSA‘s high
est honor, to identify seminal writings on the educa-
tion of young adolescents, pieces that had an impact
and continue to be important @ of the 15
Lounsbury Award winners are deceased)
These writings comprise a collective strand that
has helped shape the middle school movement.
According to the winners, identifying seminal
writings was a “difficult,” “challenging,” and
important” task. Following most references are
comments by award winners.
1920s
+ Koos, L. (1920). The junior high school. New
York: Harcourt, Brace, and Howe & Briggs,
(1920). The junior high school. New York:
Houghton Mifflin, "These two books, authored
by the major promoters of the junior high school,
make it evident the initial advocacy for the junior
high school was essentially the same as the advo-
cacy for the middle school. The failure of the jun-
ior high school was in its implementation, not in
its original intent.”
1940s
+ Gruhn, W.T, & Douglass, H.R. (1947). The
nodern junior high school. New York: The
Ronald Press, “A standard that did much to keep
the ariginal intent of the junior high school move
ment alive. Its, surprisingly, very contemporary.”
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