Orange Middle School

After reading the Star Ledger article about Orange Middle School, I was impressed with the many changes being made to the school's structure in order to positively impact student learning. This is one example where being identified by weak test scores has lead a school to make improvements and progress. It sounded to me like students, families, and staff were benefiting from the new, smaller school structure, as well as the many newly established programs that encouraged collaboration and communication.

As far as commendations, I felt that the best decision that Orange Middle School made during the restructuring process was to organize the 600 middle school students into 5 smaller houses. This structure, most commonly used by middle schools, allows students to more smoothly transition to the middle grades from elementary school. It also allows students to form closer peer groups, as well as stronger relationships with their teachers. All of these factors make them more comfortable in school and better able to learn. I also thought that the school's development of weekly discussion groups that included administrators, teachers, and students was very innovative. These types of groups allow students to express themselves, while also forming relationships with peers and teachers. Involvement in this type of activity most likely has a positive impact on self esteem and social growth, two factors that are crucial during an adolescent's development. The groups also allow teachers and administrators to be more aware of the issues with which their students are dealing. This awareness should help them to create lessons and programs for the general student body, while also enabling them to better provide needed guidance and counseling to individual students.

In the area of suggestions for further improvement, I thought the school might want to consider how they could include parents/family members in the teaching staff's twice weekly meetings about curriculum and individual students. These team meetings could become a time when the teaching staff met with parents to discuss concerns/issues/strategies. The teams might even want to consider conferencing by telephone (or email), if the parents/family members were unable to physically come to the school building. By involving the families of their struggling students in the meetings, the teachers might be able to more quickly and effectively impact the progress of their at risk students. Another suggestion would be to establish an after school tutoring program. This type of program would benefit the students that come in with behind grade level skills (as mentioned in the article), while also providing them with a safe environment for part of the afternoon/early evening. I would think that the school would qualify for state or federal monies to fund this type of program. If not, the school might want to consider shifting the hours of a few teachers in order to provide a tutoring program.

Overall, I was impressed by the changes that Orange Middle School made in a very short time period. By continuing to monitor progress and make needed changes, Orange Middle School may not need as much state monitoring and involvement in the future. Also, possible changes to NCLB may make it possible for this school to monitor its' individual progress (as suggested by one of the teachers in the article), rather than try to make the AYP established for all of NJ. This particular school faces ALL of the challenges of middle school students, PLUS ALL of the challenges of a low income area (I don't envy them). I admire the dedication of the administration, staff, community, and students and wish them well.