Accelerated middle schools, a strategy that involves “catching up” students who lag behind through intensive teaching in separate schools or classrooms, is the latest program to get a qualified nod from the What Works Clearinghouse.
A July 8 clearinghouse report says studies show that the approach has a “positive” effect on improving the numbers of children who progress through school and a “potentially positive” impact on preventing students from dropping out.
The report says the federal analysts based their conclusions on a review of three studies involving a total of 800 students in school districts in Griffin, Ga.; Flint, Mich.; and Newark, N.J. In all the studies, students were randomly assigned to either an accelerated middle school program or regular classes and their progress was followed up two years later.
