In the Middle: Do We Share the Vision? Do Principals and Teachers Agree about the Middle School Concept?

In 2009, the Tennessee Professors of Middle Level Education (TPOMLE) examined how Tennessee schools implemented the middle school concept. Of concern was the impact that emphasis on accountability and achievement had on the middle school concept which emphasizes the development of the whole child. A survey was developed based on the tenets of middle level reform presented by George and Anderson (1989). The survey was then distributed to all Tennessee schools which contained middle level grades. The intent of the survey was to determine the degree to which the principles and tenets of the middle school concept were considered important and implemented in Tennessee schools. The results indicated that middle level educators considered the principles of the middle school concept to be important and that most felt that their school implemented these principles. The researchers then examined if teachers and administrators agreed or disagreed on the importance and implementation of the middle school concept.