The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
2002
This report pulls together speeches and essays on improving student achievement in the so-called "middle grades"-six, seven and eight-which are, on the whole, marked by weak academic performance. Written by Hayes Mizell, director of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's urban middle grades reform initiative (which will sunset in 2003), the pieces address challenges of middle school reform, the importance of tying systemic reform to standards and accountability, and hard-nosed lessons learned over Mizell's decade leading this Clark initiative. An unabashed advocate of high standards, Mizell does not fall prey to "middleschoolism"-the notion that adolescents' raging hormones impede their ability to master challenging academics. Anyone seeking an honest diagnosis of our nation's failing middle schools or suggestions on how to fix them will want to peruse this report, which can be downloaded or ordered for free at http://www.emcf.org/programs/student/shootingforthesun.htm.
