KC Public Schools 'tweeners' need own buildings
A few years ago, middle school students had their own buildings in the Kansas City Public Schools district. But some were troubled by safety concerns, and academic performance was mostly poor. So the district administration reassigned most 12- and-13-year old students into kindergarten-through-eighth-grade elementary schools.
Middle schoolers were sent packing again in 2010 when the district reorganized and closed nearly half its schools because of financial problems and declining enrollment. This time they were placed with high school students in buildings encompassing seventh through 12th grades.
Now, what to do with “tweeners” is back on the table.
The timing is right. The district’s enrollment has climbed to 17,585 and is expected to be about 18,000 next year, with more growth at the middle school level. And it’s no wonder. There are 2,142 seventh- and eighth-graders, compared with 9,299 elementary school students.
Creating strong middle schools would fit the district’s push toward greater stability and improved academic performance. It could also help move Kansas City Public Schools back to accreditation, which it lost in January.
Also working in the district’s favor is its plan to hold forums in the spring to get public input on reopening mothballed middle schools near Northeast, Paseo and Lincoln high schools. The possibility of adding sixth-graders will also be open for discussion.
District superintendent Steve Green said the district wants to do a better job of keeping parents from sending their children to private schools after the pre-kindergarten and elementary school grades. Having strong, academically excellent middle schools would help.
The school board would have to approve the change for the 2014-2015 school year. Doing so would put the district in line with the trend in education to group middle-school students in their own buildings, providing age-appropriate space and curriculum.
Fortunately, the district is in a better position to make that work than it was a couple of years ago. The public’s input will help.
George Hunsucker
Northland
5 months, 1 week agoNo mention of vouchers, which if the star was truly interested in improving academic performance would be at the top of the list.
Of course, there would be fewer union jobs since parents, if given the CHOICE, but the star would not want to do that, would they?
Why do black Americans put-up with government guaranteeing their children a crappy life????????? Why don’t they demand vouchers for their children vs. government schools????
Phil Cardarella
5 months, 1 week agoI grew up in a K-8 parochial system — as did my son in a charter school. It is a better system, especially when kids can spend multiple years in the same school.
Most 7-8th graders can have a chance to be the Big Kids — something they never get to experience in massive middle schools — and usually have a very “big brother/sister” attitude toward the Little Kids in their school.
Of course, it was insane to send middle-schoolers to high schools. Let’s get a thousand smaller, younger kids who are strangers to each other and toss them in with a thousand older kids who are strangers to them all and see how that plays out, right? What could possibly go wrong — except for everything?
But, gosh, in theory it saved a bunch of money.
Middle schools are a better bad idea. K-8 is the good one.