When visiting middle schools,check to make sure that a curriculum fostering reflective thinking is used schoolwide. This instructional tool enhances a student's cognitive processing skills, prompting them to make connections between concepts they have studied in the past and newer knowledge that they acquire. In middle schools that effectively promote reflective thinking, students can be seen working collaboratively on complex projects, having the freedom to explore topics of interest within course units and engaging in the opportunity to connect their learning with real-life tasks.
Middle school presents some of the first opportunities for students to become actively involved in extracurricular activities. Prior to prospecting middle schools, you can gather input from your child to make sure the schools on your list have extracurricular activities aligned with his particular interests. It is equally important at the middle grade level for the school to offer a variety of extracurricular selections, so that your child may encounter new interests to develop.
The American Educational Research Journal published a study concluding that there is a negative correlation between high teacher turnover and students' academic achievement. While considering potential schools for your middle school student, you should investigate the annual percentage of teachers the school retains. Speaking with parents of students presently attending the school can help you find out about the number of teachers who leave and return from year to year. Consistently high teacher turnover may be a warning sign that there are problem areas within the school, such as discipline or an ineffective administration, which can create a poor learning environment for your child.
When visiting potential middle schools for your child, you can inquire about the high school placement services the school provides. Often, the matriculation pattern for a middle school is simply for students to move into a local or affiliated high school once they have completed eighth grade. While this is convenient, a high quality middle school also provides useful resources for students applying to other high schools. For example, St. Francis Episcopal Day School in Houston, Texas offers high school placement services including admissions information sessions, direct transcript submissions and in-person application delivery for families seeking admission to competitive high schools.