Forthcoming Research & Inquiry

The Status of Middle Level Curriculum in U.S. Public Schools

by Steven B. Mertens, James Nagle, Amanda Wall, Stacie K. Pettit and Christopher S. Weiler

Abstract

In response to the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group’s (MLER SIG) research agenda, this article examines the development of middle level curriculum across the United States by investigating how middle level curriculum is created and implemented. Using a qualitative content analysis of publicly accessible data from department of education websites for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, we found that much of the middle level curriculum is influenced by state content standards aligned with national standards and implemented often at the school district level, creating a wide variety of content specific curriculum in middle schools. We contend that, while states focus on content specific curricula, many states forgo the opportunity to integrate middle grades’ philosophy and practice into curricula taught in today’s middle schools.