The Carnegie Corporation of New York has created a new task force on the education of young adolescents, with the goal of developing plans for the restructuring of education in the middle grades.
“The traditional junior high school has failed as an institution to meet the unique and critical needs of young adolescents,” said David Hamburg, president of the corporation. “The enormous opportunity for intellectual and personal development dur6ing early adolescence is simply wasted for millions of American youngsters.”
The task force is part of the corporation’s Council on Adolescent Development. It will examine all aspects of middle-grades education, including school organization and classroom practices, curriculum, health and counseling services, relations between schools and families, and school-community linkages.
David W. Hornbeck, former Maryland superintendent of education, will chair the panel, whose 17 other members include national leaders from education, government, health, journalism, and youth services. The task force will issue its final report next June.
Private trade and technical schools will have to work to improve services for at-risk students, under new standards for accreditation prepared by the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools.
The standards require schools that enroll a significant number of “ability to benefit” students--those admitted without a high-school diploma or General Educational Development certificate--to offer special training assistance, personal counseling, and job-placement support.
The standards also require such students to participate in a screening process that includes a third-party review and appropriate testing.
