adolescent psychology chapter 6

the role of secondary education

• Middle, junior high, and high schools have become central institutions in adolescents’ lives.

• Nearly all U.S. adolescents between ages 14–17 attend school.

  • Secondary education has expanded globally but with disparities in access (especially in developing countries).

History and Purpose of Secondary Education

• Originally meant for the elite; expanded in the 20th century as a tool for social reform and control.

  • The comprehensive high school was developed to meet diverse academic and vocational needs

Standards-Based Reform:

• Policies like No Child Left Behind aimed to improve outcomes through standardized testing, but had mixed results.

Common Core:

Introduced uniform benchmarks in math and language arts.

Criticism:

Emphasis on testing can undermine critical thinking and other important skills.

School Size:

Smaller schools foster stronger community and better outcomes.

Class Size

Differences between 20–40 students do not significantly affect adolescents’ academic achievement.

Grade Grouping:

• Middle schools (7–8) replaced junior highs but some districts return to K–8 and 9–12 models due to better outcomes.

what tends to drop with transitions from elementary to middle school

student motivation

what percentage of high schoolers are highly engaged

17

what greatly influences learning

Classroom climate, especially responsive and demanding teachers

what have 1 in 4 students experienced at school

violence

Inner-city schools face challenges such as

poverty, violence, underfunding

Alternatives to Public Schools

private, parochial, charter, magnet, and homeschooling.

Characteristics of Good Schools

• High standards and teacher involvement.

• Emphasize student engagement and connectedness.

  • Smaller, more personal school settings and strong leadership are key

comprehensive high school

An educational institution that promised to meet the needs of a diverse and growing population of young people.

standards-based reform

Focuses on policies designed to improve achievement by holding schools and students to a predetermined set of benchmarks measured by achievement tests.

charter schools

Public schools that have been given the autonomy to establish their own curricula and teaching practices.