On Top of the News
Study Links Academic Setbacks to Middle School Transition
Education Week | 11/28/11

Behind the Headline
Stuck in the Middle
Education Next | Fall 2010

Students who move from 5th grade into middle school experience a significant decrease in math and reading achievement and are more likely to drop out of school than students who remain in one school through 8th grade, according to a study by Martin West and Guido Schwerdt. The study, part of the Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Papers Series at Harvard University, confirms the findings of an earlier study comparing students attending K-8 schools with students who attended separate elementary and middle schools in New York City. The earlier study, by Jonah Rockoff and Benjamin Lockwood, appeared in the Fall 2010 issue of Ed Next.