Turning Points 2000 - Chapter 1

Abstract:

The chapter introduces us to the report that turning points released. It continues in to a further discussion of the implications of this report. The authors then provide data regarding performance from students that attended middle schools that used the information from the report and the suggestions that Turning Points outlined vs. schools that did not. Schools that adhered to these recommendations preformed significantly better on standardized tests than those that did not. This chapter sets forth the outline and thesis of the rest of the book.


Reflection:

The authors of Turning Points suggest that a massive reform of all middle schools take place in order to strengthen a very weakened education system. These changes do not include only the factors of “what” and “how” we teach but who we teach. Many impoverish and underdeveloped school systems are often ignored leaving out a vast majority of the population. Essentially the authors believe that if we find a way to use Turning Points strategies in all of our school systems we just might find a way to improve education for grades 5-8. The “who” factor directly impacts me as a teacher because many school systems in Maine stem from a low socio-economic area/families. Appling these principals is a fairly inexpensive way to vastly improve education.