Comprehensive Research & Links to Relevant Articles
Academic loss associated with 6-8 middle schools
“On average, children's grades drop dramatically during the first year of middle school compared to their grades in elementary school. After moving to junior high school, children become less interested in school and less self-assured about their abilities.”
“Students who move to middle schools for grade 6 or grade 7 lose ground in both
reading and math compared to their peers who attend K‒8 schools”.
“Specifically, we find that moving students from elementary to middle school in 6th or 7th grade causes significant drops in academic achievement.”
“Students in grades 6-8 attending k-8 schools outperform those attending 6-8 middle schools”
Discipline issues associated with 6-8 Middle Schools
“Sixth grade students attending middle schools are much more likely to be cited for
discipline problems than those attending elementary school.”
Bullying problems associated with 6-8 Middle Schools
“Middle schoolers report higher rates of bullying and fights than students in any other grade span”
Social emotional deficiencies of 6-8 middle schools
“Social Emotional benefits of k-8 or similar models clear”
Review of research published relating to k-8 vs 6-8 grade configuration
“In sum, the majority of studies in this review found that elementary school students did significantly better than middle and junior high school students of the same age in G.P.A., standardized state math scores, standardized state reading scores, and state test composite scores. In addition, most studies in this report showed that when students transition to another school, they experience a significant drop in academic related outcomes. Overall, the literature appears to favors a K-8 model over a middle school or a junior high school model.”
Problems with transitions associated with 6-8 grade configuration
“There is evidence suggesting that separate schools and the transitions they require can cause problems that negatively affect students’ developmental and academic progress”
Risky and detrimental conduct related to peer modeling associated with large centralized middle schools
“At least during the first year or two of middle school, most students go through times of feeling socially insecure and emotionally vulnerable on that account.”
- Alspaugh, J. W. (1998a). Achievement loss associated with the transition to middle school and high school. The Journal of Educational Research, 92(1), 20-25.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220679809597572
- Alspaugh, J. W. (1998b). The relationship of school-to-school transitions and school size to high school dropout rates. The High School Journal, 81(3), 154-160.
- Byrnes, V., & Ruby, A. (2007). Comparing achievement between K-8 and middle schools. A large scale empirical study. American Journal of Education, 114(1), 101-135 https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/520693
- Cook, P. J., MacCoun, R., Muschkin, C., & Vigdor, J. (2008). The negative impacts of starting middle
- school in sixth grade. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 27(1), 104-121.
- (see link above from MacCoun. He is professor that replied to our inquiry)
- Eccles, J.S., Lord, S., & Midgley, C. (1991). What are we doing to early adolescents? The impact of
- educational contexts on early adolescents. American Journal of Education, 99(4), 521- 542.
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/443996
- Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A., Midgley, C.,Reuman, D., MacIver, D., & Feldlaufer, H. (1993). Negative effects of traditional middle schools on students’ motivation. The Elementary School Journal, 93(5), 553-574.
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/1001828?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
- Gunter, W.D. & Bakken, N.W. (2010) Transitioning to middle school in the sixth grade: A hierarchical
- Linear modeling (HLM) analysis of substance use, violence, and suicidal thoughts. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 30(6), 895-915.
- Lee, V. E., & Loeb, S. (2000). School size in Chicago elementary schools: Effects on teachers’ attitudes and students’ achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(1), 3-31.
- Lee, V. E., & Smith, J. B. (1993). Effects of school restructuring on the achievement and engagement of middle-grade students. Sociology of Education, 66(3), 164-187.
- Poncelet, P., & Metis Associates. (2004). Restructuring schools in Cleveland for the social, emotional,
- Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement Page 23 University of Minnesota and intellectual development of early adolescents. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 9(2), 81-96.
- Rockoff, J. E., & Lockwood, B. B. (2010). Stuck in the middle: Impacts of grade configuration in public schools. Journal of Public Economics, 94, 1051-1061.
- Weiss, C. C., & Bearman, P. S. (2007). Fresh starts: Reinvestigating the effects of the transition to high school on student outcomes. American Journal of Education, 113, 395-421.
- Simmons, R. G., & Blyth, D. A. (1987). Moving into adolescence: The impact of pubertal change and school context. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
- Carney, J.V., Jacob, C.J., & Hazler, R.J. (2011). Exposure to school bullying and the social capital
- of sixth-grade students. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 50(2), 238-253.