CIMLE Current Issues in Middle Level Education - The Symposium Project - Implementing a Shared Middle Level Teacher Education Program Library

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni

Middle-level teacher preparation is presented as a cornerstone for strengthening the quality of middle schools, yet such programs are often scarce and may not fully engage the work they encourage. The article describes the Symposium Project, detailing how a community of middle-level professionals collaborated to redesign courses and build a shared, middle-grades specific library within an ML Program. Reported results include improved student performance and deeper understanding of middle-level philosophy, concepts, and structures. The project offers a transferable model for enhanced teaching and learning through targeted program realignment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Background: Middle-level teacher preparation needs

Scarcity of specialized programs and limited collaboration

The Symposium Project

Building a shared library through professional community work

Course realignment in the Middle Level Teacher Education (ML) Program

Impact and outcomes

Student performance gains and strengthened understanding

Broader challenges in programmatic redesign

Weak collaboration and limited time for shared curriculum planning

CIMLE Current Issues in Middle Level Education (2014) 19 (1), 20-35 The Symposium Project: Implementing a Shared Middle Level Teacher Education Program Library Ellis Hurd Illinois State University Teaching institutions with middle grades-specific teacher preparation programs remain a cornerstone for improving the condition of the nation’s middle schools. Yet such programs scarcely exist as the heartbeat of excellence for middle grades schools or for preservice teachers seeking middle grades licensure (Jackson & Davis, 2000). Moreover, educators within such programs which do exist may seldom engage in the very work they encourage, even thrust upon preservice teachers. This article describes the Symposium Project, how the author engaged a community of middle level professionals in order to develop a larger network for collaborations on middle level teacher education course redesigns. The result was the realignment of courses within the university’s Middle Level Teacher Education (ML) Program and the adoption of a shared, middle-grades specific library. Gains were seen in students’performance and in the understanding of middle level philosophy, concepts, and structures. Overall, the Symposium Project resulted in a model of enhanced teaching and learning within the ML program from which others may benefit. While current teacher preparation program issues are of concern to urban schools serving elementary and secondary education students, they are critically important to schools serving middle level students (Brown, 2002) . It is during the middle level years (ages 11-14 years) that students choose to continue with their education through high school, or feel pushed towards dropping out at the first available opportunity (Clark & Clark, 1993) . The middle level years are “a time when young people experience puberty, when growth and development is more rapid than during any other developmental stage except that of infancy”(Jackson & Davis, 2000, p. 6-7) . In addition to physical and sexual change and growth, young adolescents experience dramatic intellectual, emotional, social, personal, and moral development (Jackson & Davis, 2000; Stevenson, 2002; Strahan, L‟Esperance, & Van Hoose, 2009; Tanner, 1971) . Given the unique developmental characteristics of young adolescents, the specialized preparation of middle level teachers has long been seen as a critical component in successfully educating young adolescents (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1989; Jackson & Davis, 2000; National Middle School Association, 1991, 2010) . The literature in middle level education has included calls for such preparation for more than 80 years (Alexander & McEwin, 1984, 1989; Floyd, 1932; Koos, 1927, McEwin, Dickinson, Erb, & Scales, 1995) . For several decades, many institutions of higher education, including this university, have offered middle level education majors and endorsements. Several states have gone a step farther and have created middle level certifications and licensure specifically to address the unique issues related to middle schools and young adolescents (Gaskill, 2002) . The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development (1989) finds that youth experience perhaps the most capricious time in growth and change during adolescence on those aforementioned levels. That instability must be met by exemplary middle grades schools. “Middle grade schools—junior high, intermediate, or middle schools—are potentially society‟s most powerful force torecapture millions of youth adrift” (Jackson & Davis, 2000, p. 2) . Yet the As reported in Jackson and Davis (2000), the Carnegie Council (1989) argues that “all too often [middle grades schools] exacerbate the problems that youth face. A volatile mismatch exists between the organization and curriculum of middle grades schools, and the intellectual, emotional, and interpersonal needs of young adolescents” (Jackson & Davis, 2000, p. 2) . This mismatch can be seen in how many schools

FAQs

What is the main focus of the Symposium Project described in the article?

It focuses on implementing a shared middle-grades specific teacher education program library and realigning ML Program courses through collaboration with middle-level professionals.

Why does the article argue that specialized preparation for middle-level teachers matters?

Because the middle-level years involve rapid physical, intellectual, emotional, social, personal, and moral development, requiring teachers prepared specifically for young adolescents’ needs.

What results are reported from the Symposium Project?

The project reports gains in student performance and improved understanding of middle-level philosophy, concepts, and structures within the ML program.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni